A little treat, but a big difference / Noraziah Mohd Amin

Iris Murdoch, the writer of the novel, “The Sea, The Sea” says, “One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats” while the author of the book, “Better Than Before”, Gretchen Rubin says, “When we give ourselves treats, we feel energised, cared for, and contented, which boosts our self- command and self-command helps us maintain our healthy habits. Gretchen Rubin explains that a “treat” is a tiny pleasure or indulgence that we give to ourselves just because we want it, as opposed to a “reward”, which must be earned or justified. This means we don't have to be "good" in order to receive a treat; we don't have to earn or justify it. Rewarding oneself with something is a way for a person to value oneself especially after successfully achieving a self-set goal. Rewarding ourselves does not mean we are lonely and incapable of making others see us as someone who needs to be appreciated and rewarded. However, this actually opens up a space for ourselves to evaluate our own selves at the very basic level that even a small accomplishment can be considered worthy of a reward. People around us will not be able to see our success and efforts in cleaning the storeroom for example, as something that deserves a reward but we know ourselves better and know how important it is for us to cultivate the habit of cleaning the storeroom by rewarding ourselves for a start.