Need Some Extra Motivation to Meet Your Financial Goals?
Try an Anti-Charity.
I read about this in The Oprah Magazine, and it’s a great idea!
Whether you’re trying to get out of debt, lose weight or be on time to work, it helps to have some sort of punishment and reward system. For example, I have a rewards system for getting out of debt: Every time we pay off a debt, our family goes to eat dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings (yes, that’s really all it takes for me).
However, I’ve had very little success with weight loss and punctuality, so perhaps it’s time to raise the stakes. I’ve previously considered charging myself money when I fail to reach my goals, but I’d probably just end up snowflaking that into debt repayment (Which I love, remember? Mmm…chicken tender wrap with teriyaki sauce!).
I could donate it to charity, but it’s hard to feel too bad about that.
Unless…It’s an Anti-Charity!
Goal-setting website stickk.com defines an anti-charity as any organization you strongly oppose or which promotes values which are most contrary to your own. For example, if you have a “She’s a baby, not a choice” bumper sticker on your car, you’d probably work pretty damn hard to not donate to Planned Parenthood.
How fantastic!
So far, my debt-reduction efforts have been leading to weight gain, not weight loss. After all, sitting in front of a computer for hours and not buying salads because they’re more expensive than burgers does not a thin person make.
