Rewards Are All Internal

Ever wondered how leadership affects employee performance? Thinking about where your own happiness comes from can really help you with that.

Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash

This week's tip is a simple mind shift to help you associate better with your goals and achievements. In fact, it's more of a statement than a tip. That is:

Rewards are all internal

How do you think about that? Is it obvious to you that this is the case? Or does it make no sense?

Let's explore it a little by looking at some rewards you might get at work:

• praise from a colleague, customer or manager

• a promotion

• a bonus or salary uplift

• satisfaction for a job well done.

Whichever of those things resonated most with you, ask yourself why (repeatedly) until you get to the root of the answer. For example:

I'd like to earn a bonus as a reward for the work I am doing? Why? So I can buy myself something nice. Why? Because I have wanted to get some new clothes for a while. Why? Because new clothes make me feel nice.

I guarantee that the value of every reward ultimately comes down to how it makes us feel or how it makes us see ourselves. Why not try it this process for yourself?

So now I bet you are wondering, why does this matter? Where is the value in noticing that rewards are all internal? How does it help?

Well, this is the kind of thing I can work on deeply in coaching with my clients. Particularly those clients interested in the non-duality side of my work.

However, the short answer is that it shows us that happiness comes from within. Sometimes objects, achievements and rewards can draw that happiness from us. But they don't put it in us. It's always there, waiting to be accessed.

Recognise that, and there might be ways you can short-cut the route to happiness, without waiting for a reward. 🙏