Rewards and Consequences System

One thing that's helped me reach the 4 month mark without PMO that I wanted to share with others is having a rewards and consequences system. When you reach landmark goals like 14 days, 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days, you should treat yourself to something that you really enjoy. For me it was steak dinners (and they were done up with all the bells and whistles). For others it might be a day off from work with the family, a fishing trip, something nice you've been wanting to buy for yourself, or your a trip to your favorite restaurant. Everybody's different with this but you should set these goals in place so that you have something to reach for and grab hold of when you get there. The extra motivation this provides helps push you through those really hard times.

It's also important to have consequences in place for when you fail. I don't think many people use consequences as much as rewards but I see them as just as important. I have something of a coffee addiction so for me giving up coffee would be difficult and actually painful...I get bad headaches without my coffee. I told myself at the start of this journey that if I relapsed, I would have to go 3 days without coffee. I haven't had to face this consequence yet, thankfully, but I still hold that statement true. Some other ideas would be giving up video games for 1 week or giving up a favorite food/restaurant for a month. The consequence has to be something that you can stick to and has to be set in stone! This system doesn't work if you cheat yourself. If you're truly passionate about giving up the PMO lifestyle, then you should regret your actions immediately after relapsing and be strong enough to suffer the consequences. Ultimately, it will help you grow from your mistakes.

Whenever a relapse happens, tough it out through the consequences you've chosen for yourself. The consequence will be a reminder of your commitment to reaching your goals. If you continue to miss your goals, try adjusting your goals and rewards system to help improve your chances of success. ALWAYS reassess what went wrong to cause your relapse. Dig deep into it and find out what happened to cause your relapse. Learn from your mistakes and at least you'll be moving forward each time. Otherwise you're just treading water until the next relapse. Don't fall into that trap. Best of luck with your fight!