We don’t celebrate our wins much as adults. We have a hard time prioritizing the small victories in our daily lives. And even when we do celebrate the little things, we rarely reward ourselves in big or useful ways.

When I was little any celebratory act was rewarded with treats. Ice cream or chocolate or other special snacks, were the currency of childhood. Turns out, I never really graduated beyond that and it’s held me back in adulthood.

I’m practicing rewards that will actually BE rewarding to me. I’m working on a reward scheme that actually helps me continue to winning and earning rewards. As an adult I have to fight the urge to celebrate a good day with an ice cream cone. I’d rather have a few more bucks in my investment account. Rather than an extra piece of chocolate for a job well done, I’m trying to choose to save for a better piece of exercise equipment.

Practicing delayed gratification while still celebrating the win is a big challenge. We learn impulsive rewards as kids. We learn instant gratification. Learning to recognize and feel the reward while also delaying it for a bigger and better reward in the future is a tough part of adulthood.

I’m working on feeling “treated” while also working toward the real future benefits that come from small wins that amount to big wins.

Reward yourself with things that continue to reward you. Reward yourself with things that stick. Reward yourself with things that last.