Where's my dangling carrot?

I think that for me to become a better runner, one of two things is going to need to happen:

1)      Someone needs to run behind me with a big stick and whap my legs whenever I stop running. (That’s motivation right there, but it is rather mean and painful. Not my top choice.)

2)      I need a dangling carrot—an immediate reward for accomplishing a predetermined goal, however minor that goal might be. Possible dangling carrot: money, new clothes, chocolate . . . to name a few. (I like money.)

I prefer number two. It will affect my husband’s wallet thickness unfortunately, but it just might be the inspiration for my success at this sport I despise.

What about Orlando Bloom and his hypnotic voice, you ask. I’m still working on that. At the end of his relaxation and visualization spill, he tells me to listen to his voice at least once a day for a week. I have listened to him 3 times so far (I was so relaxed today listening to him, I fell asleep. I wonder if it works while I’m unconscious).   So, the hypnosis idea is still a work in progress.

But back to the dangling carrot theory (because I’m not ready to let go of that idea yet). I’m thinking in terms of, “If I run to McDonald’s, I get to buy a fruit smoothie,” which is nice, but not nearly as nice as “I will park my car at Khols and have that be my starting and ending points. If I run around the neighborhood and achieve my daily goal, then when I return to my car I get to go inside and buy something new.”

All I know is that right now, my dangling carrot is “self-accomplishment” and that’s not enough to propel me forward.

 I need a dangling carrot with some $$$ attached to the string.

Possibly, it will make me run farther, so in essence it’s a win-win situation. I get new things and my Ragnar team gets a better runner than the one their getting right now.

I think it’s worth looking into.

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