I know when you see these colorful sticker charts, you think of the chore chart you had when you were eight years old, or the behavior chart at school when you were five. Isn't it wild that the only thing that could motivate us as kids to brush our teeth at night was if we could pick out a fun sticker and put it on our sticker chart?!
If you think about it, something like brushing your teeth isn’t something you do for your present self, it’s to benefit your future self. Of course present me will thank present you for brushing your teeth in the morning, but we mainly brush and floss so that we don’t get cavities later on in life. If you forget to brush one day, you don’t immediately get a cavity because it takes time. This concept of not seeing any sort of immediate results is what stops a lot of people from staying consistent and achieving their long term goals. I learned how to confront this obstacle this last summer, I and thought I would share what my solution was.
After my first year at Scottsdale Community College, I learned about the importance of dancing safely. I had been struggling with knee issues my entire life, and I was worried that indicated I wasn't dancing safely. I thought I needed to stop in order to have a long and sustaining life without five knee surgeries and a wheelchair at the ripe age of 30. During the summer of 2023, I fell into a dark place because I thought I needed to quit dancing.
In the fall, instead of giving up, I started a new neurological physical therapy approach to my knee issues. I was super excited to be trying something new. However, I knew that starting and staying consistent is the hardest part of recovery because you never see results right away. Everything takes time. Everything takes time. But I didn’t have the patience after years of failed physical therapy sessions. Nevertheless, instead of giving up, I covertly enlisted my dance team at school to keep me motivated and consistent. I did this by creating a giant accountability operation.
To do this, I wanted to create an accountability scoreboard with a reward system, so I bought calendar sticker charts and had everyone set an individual goal. Our goals ranged from rolling out muscles after class, doing a daily 30 minutes of homework, getting to class early, or even drinking 32 ounces of water. Our calendars hung in the studio, and every day we each got a sticker when we achieved our goal.
Starting the school year I was on the verge of fully giving up my passion and changing my life because of an injury. But every single day for a month, I had my friends keeping me accountable for my knee physical therapy, and I was finally seeing results in my pain levels. I was able to fully walk up the 3 flights of stairs to my apartment without limping, crawling, or wanting to cry. They had no idea I created this whole sticker chart system to selfishly help me stay motivated. But what I realized was that seeing other people find success and celebrating each other’s victories inspired all of us to keep going. We were all in it together, no matter what our individual goals were.
I have been implementing my sticker charts for about four months now, and they have yet to lose their power and influence over me. Instead of just the one I keep at school, I now have multiple in my apartment that keep my roommate and I accountable for doing our chores and meal prepping.
However silly a sticker chart may seem, finding a way to honor and reward the work I am doing right now to help a version of me that doesn't exist yet, is the best way to keep me motivated. Don’t lose sight of the work you are currently putting in just because you can’t see a clear obvious outcome. The sticker was the reward for my present self, and the pain-free stair climbing was the reward for my future self.
Don’t wait until you’ve completed your goal to be proud; be proud of every step you take. What long term goals do you have, and how can you honor the work you’re doing right now? How do you reward your present self for your current work towards your future goals?
What my other "sticker charts" look like
It doesn't have to be stickers, find the system that works for you!
