Rewarding Oneself

 In this section, I wish to talk about the idea of rewarding oneself. I recently heard an explanation from Dr. Peterson regarding the concept of rewarding oneself, and the necessity of both compensating oneself for good deeds, as well as pushing oneself to raise the bar for oneself. I found his explanation and suggestions interesting, as he refuted the idea that well-achieving and self-improving individuals can achieve what they acheive simply due to a strong, inherent drive, and that they simply have less temptations than their less-achieving counterparts. Rather, he described the idea of the existence of multiple voices within ourselves, with which we must have a conversation.

One voice within us is pleasure-seeking, impetuous, and less mindful of long-term consequences of one's actions. At the same time, this voice is responsible for supplying the pleasure that we experience, and for influencing what we desire. The second voice also influences what we desire. But this second voice is not wholly and merely pleasure-seeking. Rather this voice has its sight on bigger, grander treasures, that require adventure. The adventure that it requires is not smooth and without struggle; this is precisely what makes it an adventure.

Along this adventure to the supposed grand treasure, the first voice often speaks out and complains of craving for the sweets and treats left behind at home; the second voice truly should not ignore these longings, though they be short-lived and less meaningful than that which the second voice strives after.

Nevertheless, to utterly deny the first voice what it craves would be to suffocate one's sense of reward and motivation, and to in turn pince the feeding tube of the second voice. On the other hand, indulging in the wishes of the first voice without restraint is damaging to the well-being of the second voice, as it no longer is able to command its authority over the first voice, whose impetuous, empty, and often damaging desires would unquestionably lead to the downfall of the man in which they reside: alcoholism, addictions, formation of resentment, laziness are all consequences of such a phenomenon.

So, to find a balance that can satisfy both voices, though they remain in conflict with one another within the same body, like rivalrous siblings, who supply each others' happiness, but sometimes grudgingly are forced to share the same bunk bed. If they can learn to depend upon one another, where the second voice, the elder brother, is able to negotiate with the younger first voice, and tell him to eat his veggies, while also talking the first voice for a walk, treating him to a nice movie or meal. The second voice can guide the body to success, in a healthy way that maintains the trust between the two voices, but also enables continual progress to be made.