Freelancers, do you reward yourselves?

On the importance of rewarding yourself

Feels great, doesn’t it, when a client sings your praises and tells you what a wonderful job you did.

Or when they recommend you to others in their network who could benefit from the type of value you offer.

You get a boost. You feel energized. Your self-confidence rises. Your motivation to go out there, press some flesh and fill up your marketing backlog gets a charge.

What happens when they “forget” to say, “Thanks, great job!”?

Or when you’ve spent hours and days in professional training, on developing a marketing plan or a new website, mastering a new application – strategic commitments for which there is no immediate audience?

Do you feel like you are working in a vacuum? Do you start blaming lack of “omph” on the weather, biorhythms, a too weak second cup of coffee that morning?

These are some clear signs that you need to be your own cheering committee and to go out and reward yourself.

If you don’t, who will?

We all need a treat, some TLC, a break in pattern that nourishes us after all the energy we put out.

So the next time you’ve accomplished something, met a goal, learned a new skill or landed that new client you’ve been chasing for the longest time, reward yourself. You deserve it.

Buy yourself a bouquet.

Treat yourself to the CD you’ve been meaning to get.

Take a walk and watch the sun rise.

Get a massage. (I just did yesterday. Heavenly.)

Buy one piece of the most sinful chocolate you can find.

Whatever tickles your senses and has no purpose other than making you feel terrific, energized, confident, wonderful, radiating and grateful.

Go on, dare.

Then come back and tell us how it made you feel.

Tags: freelance, linkedin, motivation, reward, self-confidence