Perhaps you can identify with this story.

I heard about this man whose eldest son was not doing well in school.  As a father, he really didn’t know what to do anymore.  Because his son was overstaying in college, some of his teachers were now younger than him.  And the security guards thought he was already a Professor…

But one day, the father had this desperate idea.  One evening, he called his son for a face-to-face chat.  He said, “Give me a college diploma and I’ll give you a brand new car.  I’m not asking you to get high grades.  All I ask you is that you graduate.  That’s all.”  The father wasn’t a rich man.  So this was an act of utter desperation.

         But wonder of wonders, it worked.  Almost overnight, the son changed.  The impossible happened: He started opening his school books for the first time in his life.  And the act of opening his books made him want to throw up.  And when he actually read his books, he would experience real physical pain–like someone was hammering his head.  But he stuck to it.  Why?  The idea of driving his own brand new car was enough motivation for him. 

And one day, the impossible happened: he finally graduated.

My point?  Rewards are powerful.

The story doesn’t end very happily though. The father never really had the money to buy a brand new car. After graduation, the father brought the son home and gave him the keys to his old car–which was already 13 years old. As expected, the son was disappointed and asked, “But Dad, you told me you were going to give me a brand new car…”  The father said, “When I bought it, it was brand new.  But since it took you 13-years to finish college, I’m giving you a 13-year old car.” 

        I believe Rewards are powerful.  Focusing on the prize made this guy forget the pain. But unlike his father, when God promises a reward, no doubt about it, you’ll receive it.

Rewards Are More Powerful Than Punishments

God wants you to think of your rewards.

It’s not selfish to do so.  In fact, God mentioned it many times in the Bible.  So He wants us to think about them.

Why?   Because He knows that thinking about your Rewards is powerful. 

Do you want to win in life?  I repeat: Don’t focus on the pain; Focus on the prize.

As a kid, I hated taking a bath. 

Don’t ask me why.  My eldest son went through that phase too some years ago.  So there must be a male gene that hates taking a bath.

My mother’s solution?  Punish me if I didn’t take a bath.  If I didn’t take a bath, I didn’t get to watch TV.  Which was the most horrific torture beyond imagination for a small kid. (I screamed, “No Voltes V?  No Charlie’s Angels?  No Hawaii 5-0?  Can anyone just kill me?”)

So to comply, I took a shower daily.  But believe me, they were as short as humanly possible.  Thirty seconds was too long.  In other words, I barely got damp.  It was a miracle if I got slightly moist.  Perhaps 7 drops of water on my body was enough for me.  I usually took a bath during a commercial break while watching Voltes V.  So right after my shower (uh, “sprinkle” is a better word), I’d run out of the bathroom with a towel around my waist–not wanting to miss the gripping part when the 5 spaceships volt in into one gigantic robot–even if it’s actually the exact same thing I’ve watched in hundreds of other episodes.

         But one day, everything changed in my life. 

How?  When I had a big crush on my classmate Mercedez. 

All of a sudden, I took a real interest in taking a shower.  My mother never noticed, but my sisters wondered why I was in the bathroom for an incredibly long time–fifteen minutes!  They wanted to use the bathroom, but I was still inside rubbing my armpit, making sure I wouldn’t stink when I got near cute Cedz that day.

         In life, there are really only two overarching, umbrella motivations in life: Punishment and Reward.  Not watching TV was my punishment.  Making Cedz like me was my reward.  Guess which was more effective?

         I believe prizes are more powerful than punishments.  Because love is more powerful than fear.

         Fear and punishment are useful for those who aren’t mature.  But when a person has a mature sense of self, fear and punishment won’t be as powerful as rewards.

         May your dreams come true,

         Bo Sanchez

PS. I just came from Davao two days ago. We had a fantastic conference! But after the gathering, a few people came up to me and said, “Bo, see you at the WEALTH SUMMIT 2013 on March 1 and 2. I already registered!” They were soooo excited. I can’t blame them. I’m excited too! Because I know a lot of people will experience financial breakthroughs at the WEALTH SUMMIT 2013. To know more about it, click the link below:

Tell Me More About The WEALTH SUMMIT 2013