It sounds pretty fundamental. But it is amazing how often you forget to give yourself a pat on the back. Now, rewarding is different to justifying.

Justifying things to yourself, as previously talked about, is a cop out. It is when you don’t do something, or do something that is a bad for you, but you justify it as being ok. For example, ‘I went to the gym this morning so I can justify having junk food for lunch’.

On the other hand, celebrating life’s little successes along the way with a reward not only makes you feel better about yourself, but also builds a good work ethic for yourself.

For example: Set a goal and a reward for achieving it. Pair up something you want to achieve with something you want to buy. I really want that new pair of shoes. So if I can drop 3kgs I will buy them for myself.

Another good example is allowing yourself one occasion a month to splurge. Perhaps it is the one night a month you go out and dance on table tops and get in at 4am. Or it is the one night you head out and smash a combo. Or perhaps when you are old and married with 2 teenage kids, it is the one night a month you have date night to keep the embers burning in your relationship. A reward for putting up with the terse comments and grunts and groans for the other 30 days.

The key difference between reward and justification is when you make the decision. A reward is set out as a goal, and decided upon before the event. A justification is an excuse and is decided on after the fact.

Being all too aware that I used to justify things regularly, and I see it in a lot of my friends, I have made a conscious effort to change things up and work towards rewards now. I feel much better about myself. I also feel a renewed sense of vigour, born from greater discipline.