Six of Wands

“A laurelled horseman bears one staff adorned with a laurel crown; footmen with staves are at his side. Divinatory Meanings: The card has been so designed that it can cover several significations; on the surface, it is a victor triumphing, but it is also great news, such as might be carried in state by the King's courier; it is expectation crowned with its own desire, the crown of hope, and so forth.”
-A. E. Waite

You are now entering the third week of your program. If you’ve followed the previous steps and stuck to your plan, you should a) be progressing well and b) be coming up on a milestone/reward of some sort, one that will keep you motivated and content with your plan.

No milestone or reward up ahead? It’s not too late to make one! Six of Wands is all about “great news” and “expectation crowned with its own desire.” You’ve worked hard this past month, and you need a little something—some “great news”—to keep you on track. So go ahead, plan a special treat for yourself for the end of this week.

Three things to keep in mind:

1. ONLY let yourself have the reward if you stick to the plan this week. Even if you’ve fallen down the last two weeks, commit to your goals for this week at least. Then you’ll be able to reward yourself guilt-free at the end, and you’ll be making a positive correlation between following good habits, and experiencing good things.
2. DON’T plan an activity that undermines your plan. If you’re trying to lose weight and get healthy, don’t reward yourself with chocolate cake. If you want to get ahead financially, don’t cancel a presentation or leave work early.
3. But DO mark the occasion with a reward that actually means something. There’s nothing worse than a “fake” reward—it’s actually de-motivational! Rice cakes are no substitute for the real thing. A special day out with the kids doesn’t mean much if what you really crave is alone time.

How can you reconcile points 2 and 3? Choose an indulgent reward that falls in a different life area from what you’re working on. If you want to progress in your career, you shouldn’t skip that business meeting, but there’s no reason you can’t buy a fabulous new suit to wear for the occasion! Conversely, if your goal is to save money, splurge on a cheap treat like a Netflix marathon and all the cookies you can bake yourself.

Unless you’re trying to change everything about your life all at once (not advisable!), there has to be some area in your life with a little rewarding “wiggle room.” You need to mark your progress with something genuinely enjoyable, though, or this milestone won’t make enough of a psychological impact to keep you motivated.

Enjoy yourselves properly now, and you’ll be all set for next week, when Seven of Wands kicks your plan into a higher gear. Until then, have fun!