Positive Motivator
I saw this on Pinterest today. It’s a mixed bag, Pinterest. There’s so many wonderful things to see (be warned: Time sucker!) and inspiring things and people and the fashunz! But it’s also a very contrasting environment of “OMZTEHFATZ!” and “OH! How can I put more candy/chocolate/etc on random confection#892?!” Not judging, just noticing the heavy contrast there. There’s a good bit of delightful and sometimes snarky humor, all good stuff, generally speaking…but the above image got me thinking.
I am all for the basic concept of having a goal jar…but why specific to working out? It ain’t for everyone and for some of us (moi) it’s a nightmare scenario (germs!). What I like about it is rewarding yourself for treating yourself good. Why not start a self-care jar! Or a compliment jar! Or a pleasurable movement jar! Or whatever you want…just to give yourself a visual representation of you trying to honor and care for yourself. I’m all for this.
I gave myself a face mask thingy this weekend and took a luxuriously long-hot shower (I’ve mastered the 5 minute shower, so anything longer is a luxury to me) Saturday night before gettin’ my dance on. And it was magically transforming. Prior to that face mask and shower (and I had Lady Gaga blastin’ through the speakers in the bathroom) I was stressed out to the max! I blew up at someone I care about and acted like a damned fool. Stress is a killer, y’all! It can turn the coolest cat ugly!
While the act of doing the self-care itself is a reward, I think having a visual representation, as a reminder, will help, too! I like the double reward concept. I like having something like this with a positive reinforcement rather than say a swear or douche jar situation is a better thing overall. If I saw this and saw money piling up in there IÂ might be more motivated and better reminded to do nice things for myself. And hey, if I got to $100?! I would go get a full European Facial at my fave spa and feel like a fucking princess! (My esthetician always makes me feel fabulous!)
What would your jar be? What would help you remember to self-care? Would you decorate your jar? Where would you place it? What would you use the money for? Let’s discuss because you inspire me!
Funnily enough, I used to have a virtual ‘crafting jar’ in my head. If I sat down and tossed my bobbins and read about crafty things and upcycled stuff, then the next time I saw something I wanted for my crafting, I would let myself buy it if I had the funds to do so. If I had spent the last couple weeks not crafting, I would tell myself I had no money to buy craft toys until I did at least so many inches of lace.
Yes, I did work in a punitive aspect because there are times when I’m a douchebag to myself. I think if I were to do it now I would probably say ‘wow, I tossed my bobbins every day, wrote that kickass article for Crafty Manolo (cough*subtleplug*cough), and made a needlefelted piece. I think I’ll go out and get myself a new book/fabulously colorful piece of roving/beret to decorate…’ you know; something like that.
I could also see myself creating a motivational jar for FA activism. Haven’t worked out the details yet, but it could be fun.
Twistie: That is a fantastic idea, actually! I always forget to set aside time to craft and such. <3
Yeah, I don’t know about the jar. While I appreciated that it said “work out”, not “lose a pound” or something like that, I have come to deeply believe that all permanent change has to be motivated from within. I wonder though, if it could help in a sort of a transition phase. I do really like your idea of a self-care jar. Actually, as I like to exercise, I like the idea of a work out-jar too. Hm, apparantly I have mixed feelings about the jar. Heh … mixed feelings about a jar … heh, heh.
Veronica: Yeah, my initial reaction was similar to yours. But then I though, hmm…, flip it and use it simply as a physical reminder. Because I want to get better at self-care but I am a space cadet! Ha!