"What I need is someone who will make me do what I can."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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| Carrot and stick 4-23-14 |
"There is something very satisfying about being rewarded for something ...
We do very well with rewards, sometimes, it's tangible, like a free coffee
and sometimes, its just our own sense of moving closer to something we value.
We benefit from encouragement as we work towards our goals."
-- Michael Kay,
"The Reward of Rewards," Psychology Today
"We persevere because we believe rewards will come."
-- Philip Yancey, The Bible Jesus Read
After a couple of days of perfect bike riding weather, the temperature dropped and a chill gusty wind blew in yesterday.
I bundled up and ventured out anyway, but the changing weather definitely stole some of the fun out of it for me.
Leaning into a stout, harsh crosswind that stung my face as it gusted across the empty farm fields, I fought to stay upright, and motivated. I was cold. My eyes were watering. My legs burned. My shoulder ached. My nose ran.
But I kept pedaling. Because I had a secret weapon. I had motivation. There was a carrot on the end of the stick I was chasing that was going to be so worth it when I finally caught up to it.
I had a massage scheduled later in the day.
So the colder, sorer and tired-er I got, the more I focused on how good it was going to feel when I finally stretched out on the heated massage table under the soft warmth of heated blankets, soothed by the dim lights, the quiet music, the aroma of scented oil and sandalwood. I thought of smooth, warm hands working smooth, warm oil into my aching muscles, untying my knots and kneading me out while I drifted away for an hour in La La Land.
I'd have had the massage whether I rode or not. It was already on the calendar. But somehow, a tough ride in tough conditions made the hard-earned prize at the end feel all the better. It felt like a reward.
I guess you do what you have to do to keep going. On your bike. At your job. In your life.
Because nobody likes doing something for nothing. It's why dogs get treats when they sit and stay. It's why little kids get candy or stickers when they poop on the potty. It's why people get paychecks for doing 40 hours of whatever people do.
We all like being rewarded for our hard work, even if we have to give ourselves our own incentives and rewards and hang our own carrot on our own stick. It's how we're wired.
It's a good thing I like carrots. And massages.
