Do you ever find yourself frustrated with trying to get things done when the kids are around?
And, even more frustrating…
Trying to get your child to stick with something until it is done without you having to nag and nag?
Well, I have good news and bad news…
The bad news is – there is no pill that can magically help you (or your child) have endless motivation.
The good news is…
Today I am going to share with you a very exiting concept that is so simple anyone can use it to improve their chances of success. The concept is:
Celebrate the Progress
You see…
Progress is what we are aiming to do in every area of our lives –
- our career
- our relationships
- our health and
- our finances
And, it is even what we are looking for with our parenting (which falls under the relationships banner).
Why?
“Because the name of the game is progress.”
The thing is…
As long as we are making progress in our lives (regardless of how big it is) it always means we are on track.
You can find more in-depth detail on this concept in On Track Parenting (page 206). But because I know mums and dads are often time-poor… for today, I will share just the second step (and one of the most important parts) of the strategy with you to get you started in the right direction.
The second of the four steps is to celebrate the progress.
To give you a simple example (which you can even share with your kids), I will use the story of how I came across this idea when I was studying my Bachelor of Psychology.
My initial goal was to wait until I’d completed the degree before I celebrated. But this just didn’t make sense to me because it always felt like I was just working and working with nothing to show for it. And if you do the same, I’m sure you often feel frustrated, frazzled and fed up too.
And why is that?
“Because life is about enjoying the journey.”
That’s why it’s so important to celebrate the progress along the way.
Celebrating the progress allows you recognise even the smallest little achievements you have made. It helps you to stay motivated because you have “chunked” your goal down into smaller little achievements, which means you even feel better because you don’t have to wait until the end to feel good.
More importantly…
By focusing on the progress our children are making instead of looking for the things they are not doing, it actually changes the way we look at and interact with them on a personal level. So, it actually helps to improve the relationship you have with your child at the same time.
Trust me…
There is a lot more to the psychology of this concept than I have just shared that just makes it so powerful. But you don’t need to know the finer details to find out these strategies work. All you have to do is give them a go and see for yourself.
So, here’s how I implemented this idea during my degree – I decided to celebrate every time I completed an exam or handed in an assignment… because that meant I was on track and making progress.
And celebrating can be as simple as:
- Giving yourself a day off
- Treating yourself to a massage
- Making time to have a coffee with a friend
- Watching Netflix for the rest of the day
- Getting a new MP3 or course you have been wanting
- Going out to lunch
For your kids, it might be:
- Giving them a day to just relax
- Going to the beach
- Getting the latest toy or gadget they have been wanting (or accessory)
- Checking out a movie with some friends
- Extra screen time they wouldn’t normally get
- Making time to go to their favourite café for a thickshake
One way we like to celebrate our weekly progresses as a family is by going out to our favourite restaurant at the end of the week for dinner. This way, we can celebrate each family member’s progress as a family unit while eating food we love.
However you do it, the important thing to remember is to make a big deal about the small successes.
Because…
“Some progress is better than no progress.”
Let me illustrate it with an exercise example.
Let’s say you want to get fit but due to your limited health or time constraints you can only walk for 15 minutes. Well, if you apply the concept of “some is better than none,” then 15 minutes is better than 10 minutes and 10 minutes is better than 5 minutes, which is better than not at all.
Or…
If you can only do 20 push ups… well 20 is better than 15. And 15 is better than 10.
And if you can and only do 1, then that is better than none and you can only improve from there.
So…
“Some is always better than none.”
And if you are making any progress, you are on track.
Now, I want to invite you to take this concept and find ways to celebrate your progress in whichever area of your life you want to work on the most (no matter how small the progress is). Look for the progress you are making in each of the key areas of your life and find ways to celebrate it today.
Because as a I say:
“The name of the game is progress.”
And, no matter how small your progress is, it means you are on track.
By the way…
You can get access to many more great ideas and strategies in my book, “On Track Parenting” on how to implement this concept of progress. You can get a copy from ontrackparenting.com/missingmanual. Or call 0458 360 666 and one of our friendly staff will rush it out to you today.
