Incentive Digest.

I am an incentive enthusiast. Incentives, rewards, high fives, whatever. In sales, obviously making more money is supposed to be the incentive. Who doesn't want to make more money? I'd be lying if I said I didn't. Having said that, sometimes I require a little something extra. Something to work toward, something I can get now instead of waiting for a paycheck that won't even be available for another month and a half.

If you follow me on Instagram (@sammellaaa), you probably noticed that I just hopped on the Alex and Ani bandwagon. It took me a hot minute, but I finally caved and bought my first one. 

I got multiple comments on the picture letting me know that it would become an addiction. I'm not one to follow jewelry trends, but let me just say: they were right. I was on the website not even 12 hours after my first purchase trying to figure out which one I wanted to get next.

As you could probably tell from recent posts, work has been pretty stressful for me lately. No surprise there; it happens. It's been hard for me to get motivated, so I've been looking for inspiration left and right. Yesterday, a Monday of all days, I decided that if I could hit a certain goal, I would buy myself a new Alex and Ani bracelet. My goal was pretty out of reach for a typical day at the office, but hey, I wanted a real incentive. 

By 5:05 p.m., the end of the day, I was one short of my goal. Just one. I was tempted to give in and just say 'no worries, Sam, you tried, just buy it anyway.' But a part of me wouldn't let it go - I wanted to earn my own incentive, not cheat my way there. So I was all packed up, sunglasses on, bag on my shoulder and I saw a phone number of someone I promised to follow up with. I almost shrugged it off and walked away, but I thought "what the hell?" 

After that call, the call I almost didn't make, I hit my goal. It seems small and silly and stupid, but it meant a lot to me because I made myself earn it. My point is that sometimes, when you're looking for a little motivation, incentivize yourself. If you make it a point to go to the gym every day this work week, allow yourself a full-sugar margarita on Saturday. If you hit your numbers at work this week, buy yourself a little sum'-sum'. You'd be surprised how much of a difference it makes.

Now...it's time for me to get my hands on the mermaid Alex and Ani bracelet :) XO