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Patty Craig: A Slice of Time

My eight-year-old granddaughter needed an injection for a strep infection last week. Since my granddaughter hates shots, her mom promised her a reward – a strawberry-banana milkshake – for getting the shot. Rewards often help us do the not-so-fun stuff.

As a child, my mom would say, “Get your chores done, then we can ….” The end of the sentence changed based on the activity planned that day or evening. My siblings and I took her promise seriously and got our work done. As teenagers, if we were really in a hurry, we would help one another in order to be able to leave earlier (That was not the case on a normal day.).

Nir Eyal, an American author, suggested three steps to get people to do things they don’t want to do by (1) breaking the task down into manageable chunks of work; (2) providing progress indicators (where we are in the over-all project); and (3) explaining why the task matters and perhaps providing incentives (http://lifehacker.com/5965334/how-to-motivate-people-to-do-things-they-dont-want-to-do). Experts agree that long-term motivation comes from people motivating themselves, not from incentives.

Many people have commented about rewards. Some of those comments are included below (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/rewards_4.html):

- I got my degree. More importantly, I got a key to American opportunity. That's who we are - a nation that rewards ambition with opportunity. Where hard work can lead to success, no matter where you start. -Eva Longoria

-Make a list of goals for every year, tick them off and reward yourself when you achieve each one. Will give much discipline in your life. -Ziad K. Abdelnour

-The scriptures contain many stories of people who waited years or even decades before the Lord's promises came to pass. What modern believers can learn from the patience of biblical saints like Abraham, Joseph, David, and Paul is that waiting upon the Lord has eternal rewards. -Charles Stanley

-In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences. -Robert Green Ingersoll

-Most of us are not pure self-starters; most people need role models, they need coaches, they need exemplars, they maybe need some discipline or some rewards. We need to be motivated. -Tyler Cowen

-God has a purpose for your pain, a reason for your struggles, and a reward for your faithfulness. –Unknown

American actor and producer David Caruso said, “If you're not willing to risk, there are no rewards (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/rewards_4.html). We push ourselves for rewards – whether they’re provided by self or others. Like my eight-year-old granddaughter, I respond to rewards. Today, I promised myself that when my chores were done, I could enjoy an end-of-the-day snack and some TV time. And now, it’s reward time.

 

 

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