Step 17: Check Yourself

Let’s take a Check Yourself on rewards. Now is a perfect time to remind you that it’s not enough to simply know that you should be using rewards. You must actually implement them! 

Otherwise, you’ll fall prey to the insight fallacy: to understand something isn’t the same as changing it. One of our most enduring societal myths is that once we understand a problem, it will automatically solve that problem. 

Our overriding commitment in this Expert Path is to ensure that you’re applying these strategies and putting them into action. The Check Yourself exercises are designed to do just that. 

Answer the following questions using this 5-point scale: 1 = Never, 2 = Seldom, 3 = Occasionally, 4 = Often, 5 = Repeatedly. Of course, be honest and realistic.

Successful-changers average 3 and higher on these self-assessment items. By contrast, the unsuccessful give themselves 2 and below. If you are not rating yourself at least a 3, reengineer your reward system. The research suggests you need to reward yourself more using the methods described earlier.

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