Rewards tend to be one of the best ways to pat ourselves on the back without tooting our own horn on a job well done.  No one needs to know why we are pampering ourselves, maybe it’s simply because we made it through the holidays without having one confrontation with any of our relatives, and isn’t everyone kind of expecting us to do this anyway?  No matter how small the victory, a necessity I believe we should always include in our day-to-day lives is a moment, an afternoon, a day, a weekend or maybe even a week, of pampering.

If you are a planner, planning a reward at the end of your week or your busy season at work, will be something to set your sites on while you are toiling away.  Often times the anticipation of a luxurious evening of pampering is just as uplifting as the pampering itself . . . well, almost.

For example, I was well aware that this past April was going to be a month without a moment to pop my head up above water in order to have some time to myself.  Mind you, I was busy most of the time being involved in some of my favorite social gatherings, but none-the-less, no down time.  I crave my down time; it is like water to me, my necessary sustenance, and my best friends and family are well aware of this.   Being the planner that I am, back in February, I scheduled my seasonal facial to fall during the week after things had finally ceased to be as demanding.  I cannot tell you how many times, I have thought of this hour of serenity and quiet.  It has kept me zen during some stressful times.

While some of you may already know exactly how you want to pamper yourself, let me share with you a handful of ways to consider on your quest to take some time for yourself.  I’ll start with rewards for the simple victory of making it through the week and work my way up to – “just passed the bar exam”, or “finished my first grueling, yet rewarding year as a professional in my field”.

Okay, here is the biggie.  The one you’ve earned through months or may a handful of years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears.  Why not hire yourself a stylist to help put together a wardrobe for the next upcoming season? While Rachel Zoe mostly likely wouldn’t be in most people’s budgets, there are many stylists in your area that can do a wonderful job.  Inspire Style, for example, is a style coaching business located in Portland, Oregon, Minnesota and Washington, that strives to help you find your very own personal style, and even specializes according to your career, if you’d like.  You may schedule a closet review, style profile, partner shopping, make-up lesson, hair session – anything that will better create the outer image you desire.  I learned about Jandi Chanel Girard, the founder, last year in The Oregonian, and she has since expanded her business dramatically.  I, personally, can’t wait to schedule an appointment!

All right, so you’ve seen my list.  Out of curiosity, what would be some other ways you might want to pamper yourself?  I’m all ears!  One can never have enough ideas for pampering in their arsenal. Have a lovely Wednesday and hopefully some time to plan your next bit of pampering.