How to Make Real-Life Rewards Truly Meaningful
Start with seeing whatever you are up to as a game.
Anything can be a reward — a smile, a message of praise, a compliment, a hand-written card, a colorful sticker, a pen, another helpful token, a cup of coffee, a tiny piece of chocolate — anything, however small. We just don’t see them that way.
We usually attach some weight and drama to what we get. We disregard what we think to be insignificant and search for something big and significant. A big bonus, an invoice with a large sum on it; now, that is significant, right?
Interestingly, we, especially lately with the rise of awareness and mindfulness, recognize that each moment — however small — matters. However, when it comes to rewards, we still pursue this judgment — the bigger, the better, the smaller, the less we should care.
I like how Jane McGonigal makes the difference between our perspectives in real life and games brilliantly visible in her best-selling book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. Here is what she says about the rewards.
“ FIX #8: MEANINGFUL REWARDS WHEN WE NEED THEM MOST
“Compared with games, reality is pointless and unrewarding. Games help us feel more rewarded for making our best effort.”…
