Why treating yourself is key to staying motivated

Sponsored post in association with American Express®

Rewarding yourself is an important part of life and a great motivational tool to encourage us to get stuff done. Of course, rewards can come in many forms and range from the littlest of things, like giving yourself a long lie after a busy week getting stuff done, to much larger scale things like booking a once in a lifetime holiday after smashing one of your life goals. Large or small, it doesn’t matter; they will all have a positive impact on your mood. On a personal level, I treat myself to little rewards all the time, and so I’ve teamed up with American Express to share a few of them with you:

At Work

I love what I do and I love the freedom that blogging gives me but I will admit that I often do need a little bit of extra encouragement to get the more mundane tasks done. I might tell myself one morning that if I clear out so many emails or get through some boring admin that I’ll treat myself to some pancakes for brunch or aim to get a particular article written up before I can head to the gym in the afternoon.

In my Personal Life

Rewards in your personal life are just as important as your work life. At the moment I’m on a little bit of a health kick so I’ve been using rewards to help me stick to and focus on my training regime. I make myself earn any treats through hard work and sweat at the gym. If I want to get myself some new trainers (a little obsession of mine), I’ll set myself a small challenge before I allow myself to buy them. I might also allow myself a takeaway as a treat at the weekend after eating healthily all week long.

Rewards in your personal life can take many different forms though. You might use them to motivate you to clear out the garage or loft or maybe to get the chores done that you absolute hate!

Treating others

One thing to keep in mind is that rewards don’t have to take a physical form. Doing a good deed for someone else may bring you a different kind of reward. You feel good that you done something nice for someone, so that in itself can be very rewarding. It can be as simple as feeling great when you see the massive smile you out on someone’s face or maybe the feeling of achievement you get after helping a friend or family member with a project.

Well, those are the three key areas in my life where little treats can make a big difference to my overall mood. I hope they have given you some food for thought too! New research by American Express** suggests that Brits give themselves a little treat, on average, three times a week, but I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be doing this every day.

Everyday Perks with American Express

From treating yourself to a nice brunch after a hard morning’s work to enjoying a takeaway in the comfort of your own home, American Express makes every day more rewarding by giving you feel-good perks for your purchases*.

Its range of Cards are packed with ways to get more from your everyday spending; from Membership Rewards® points that can be used to treat yourself to virtually anything (and that never expire) to discounts at top restaurants and hotels, money back on everyday purchases, or collecting frequent flyer miles to help you get on your next getaway sooner. To find out more about how American Express can help you get more out of every day, visit amex.co.uk/whyamex

* Selected Cards only. Terms and conditions apply. Subject to availability.

**Research conducted by Opinium for American Express from a representative sample of 2,000 adults (22nd – 26th September 2017).

Promoter: American Express Services Europe Limited has its registered office at Belgrave House, 76 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9AX, United Kingdom. It is registered in England and Wales with Company Number 1833139 and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority