Life is a marathon, not a sprint. We face many challenges as we go through life and we often miss the big picture. We take for granted the small wins in our lives and fail to recognize many others, prioritizing only the big milestones in our lives, thinking those are the ones that matter.
Yes, graduations, weddings, vacations to exotic islands are worthy of praise, but so is being able to declutter your room, finishing a good book, and getting a new personal best at the gym. Small wins matter more than you think, so let us dive into why they are worth celebrating and how they transform your life.
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Snowball effect
Just like how a snowball grows bigger and bigger as it goes down the hill, so do small wins. As you build momentum towards your ultimate goal, it fuels your motivation to face the bigger challenges, increasing your self-esteem.
Think about the marathon analogy. You want to get fit and want to run a marathon. As a large individual, it feels like a daunting impossibility, but that’s all in the beginning.
You run for 15 minutes a day but feel tired within 5. Celebrate starting out. The next day or two, you start getting used to running and can run for longer.
That is also a win. Soon, you run the entire 15 minutes and increase your pace. All these wins get bigger and bigger and are all worthy of celebrating because it gives you that boost to continue. Soon, you not only run the marathon you wanted to participate in but are now competing in your fifth.
Celebration feeds motivation
According to science, whenever we achieve and celebrate our small wins, it activates the reward system of the brain as it releases chemicals known as dopamine into our nervous system. This chemical is not just tied to pleasure but also both focus and motivation. It gives you that surge of energy, making you feel like you can do anything.
Celebrating more of your small wins grants you the motivation to take on your next challenge, exciting you for what you can achieve next. It’s awesome to think how big a boost one small victory becomes as you progress towards your ultimate goal.
Leave the critic behind
How many times have we been our own worst critic? We often beat ourselves up over the tiniest things, saying we aren’t good enough. That, my friend, is the beast known as Perfectionism: the overlord that looms over your entire progress.
To slay this foul beast, you must beat it by retraining your brain to focus on progress and not perfection. Even if you were unable to finish your self-portrait on oil canvas but managed to get the foundational shapes in, celebrate that tiny progress.
Were you in last place during the city marathon? Celebrate being able to participate! Every small step is proof of your efforts and your drive for eventual success.
Small wins are more sustainable
If all your effort is put into landing huge promotions or becoming regional manager in a few months, you’d be a fool to think you’d have overnight success every time. While they are great aspirations, they can be a major cause for burnout when those desires aren’t fulfilled in time.
Small wins, however, are always within reach and can be easily managed.
Work feels a lot more rewarding when you celebrate small wins, especially in a hectic environment. The motivation you get from pulling out small victories can make a usually tiring day into a day filled with teachable moments.
The art of celebrating
Now that you’ve learned how to spot those small wins in your life, you can learn how to celebrate. Just because you are celebrating, however, it doesn’t mean you have to go all out and splurge, although if that’s your thing, try to keep it in your budget.
You can simply treat yourself to a nice meal or show. You can turn to your family and friends who love and support you. If you are the creative type, write it in a journal so you can read about it again when you are feeling low.
The point of celebrating is to acknowledge your progress and what it means to you. It is a way to solidify your progress as you gradually fulfill your bigger goals.
Proof of resilience
There will be setbacks and failures when you least expect it, and some will make you question if you are doing the right thing. Like how you have experienced them many times, you still survive. That in itself is worth celebrating.
Small wins remind you that you still win even when life throws you a curveball. Just because you struggle right now doesn’t mean it will be the same every time unless you don’t try to improve or adopt a new strategy.
It helps you to navigate through hardships and becomes a badge of honor, giving you a confidence boost when you are at your lowest.
Small wins matter more
Sure, big wins are exciting—they’re the stuff of dreams and celebrations, but here’s the thing: they don’t happen every day, and they definitely don’t happen back-to-back. Small wins, though, are everywhere, just waiting for you to notice.
Think of small wins as little reminders that you’re on the right track towards learning, growing, and moving forward. The magic happens when you begin to stack your small wins higher and higher – making you realize just how far you’ve truly come.
Any successful person will tell you that big achievements don’t just appear out of thin air. They are built steadily on smaller, minor victories that grow over time.
Olympic champions had to grow and develop their skills over many years of struggles. They don’t just appear out of nowhere and eventually win gold.
Contagious vibes
The best part about celebrating small wins is that the feeling you get is contagious. It inspires those around you to do the same and be just as successful in their own lives. You become a beacon of motivation for your friends and family as you continue to progress and become your best version of yourself.
Conclusion
Celebrating your small wins is all about focus and having a positive mindset over small progress and in handling setbacks. All your achievements, no matter how small, make a lasting impact and prove to show your progress. Raise your chin up and keep getting back up. Your next celebration may be just up ahead, after all.
Enjoyed this post? You might also like these:
- How to Turn Everyday Challenges into Personal Growth Opportunities
- How to Embrace Your Mediocre Talents and Still Shine
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