How To Reward Yourself

By Biana Babinsky

Many of you track your goals and achieve them. But how many of you reward yourselves for achieving the goals?

You may remember that a few months ago I mentioned that I was planting herbs. I have some results to report - a few days ago I harvested sweet basil for the first time this year. Pesto made from this fresh, fragrant basil was fabulous, and it was a fitting reward for a job well done - planting and taking care of basil. This got me thinking - how do we, as business owners, reward ourselves for a job well done?

It is very important to create a plan for marketing your business and your products, keep yourself accountable for implementing the plan, and track your goals. However, it is equally important to reward yourself(and others!) for a job well done.

As business owners we sometimes forget that we are the boss, so it is our job to pat ourselves on the back for meeting a deadline, to give us a bonus for meeting the sales goal or to let ourselves take a few hours off in exchange for working late into the night the day before. Getting a reward is very important - it makes us appreciate what we have accomplished even more.

So how can you, a business owner, reward yourself (and others)? Over to you - let's take action today:

- Identify Appropriate Rewards. What works as a reward for others, might not work for you, so identify the rewards that you would like to receive. One of my students has a special piece of paper by her computer, and she puts number "1" on it every time she sells her ebook. After she gets 10 1's, she gets to take a day off.

This method might not work for you, but it will help you start thinking about the appropriate actions/rewards for you in your business. Rewards might be personal(taking time off to relax) or business-related(a class or an ebook you have been thinking about purchasing). Make sure the rewards work for you.

- Work The Rewards Your Business Plan. Make the rewards official. Just having them in your head isn’t as official as writing them into your business plan and tracking them, just like you track the rest of your goals.

- Reward Others. Did your web site developer deliver a new addition for your web site before the deadline and under budget? Did your client recommend your services to seven of his colleague? Did your partner cover for you during your seminar, when you had an emergency?

Reward the people who have helped you - show them that you really appreciate what they do for you. When was the last time you rewarded yourself? Take a few minutes off right now, and brainstorm the three points above.

About the author: Learn how to get more clients online and make more money by promoting and showing your expertise. Biana Babinsky, the online business consultant, expert and author teaches you how to use your expertise to make more money at MarketingSalad.com, the online business community for business owners. Join the community now at http://www.MarketingSalad.com