The Bits in Between: Small Victories

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The Bits in Between: Small Victories

We all have goals in life. Setting goals helps motivate us, and gives us direction. Setting big goals helps us find satisfaction in life, but reaching these long-term goals is a long journey with a lot of small steps. Sometimes, we may lose our way on that journey, distracted by short-term, easier goals. We might lose interest in the long-term goals, and lose our motivation and momentum, or lose our confidence.

I have two family members dealing with serious illnesses. My sister is fighting metastatic breast cancer, starting her fourth round of chemotherapy with the hope that she will continue to slow down the progression of this currently incurable disease. My cousin is in a sub-acute care facility, recovering from a severe stroke, and working to regain her mobility and become self-sufficient enough to move back home. Both face significant challenges as they work towards their long-term goals. Both will also experience self-doubt, fear, anger, frustration and sometimes self-pity as they strive to maintain momentum and motivation on the journey to their ultimate goals.

Seeing their day-to-day struggles reminds me of the importance of celebrating small wins. We celebrate starting and finishing big goals but rarely take the time to savor the steps we took to get there. As author John C. Maxwell said, “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” Celebrating these small wins feels good physically. Acknowledging small wins along the way to our bigger goal sparks the reward circuits of our brains and releases chemicals that give us a feeling of pride and a happiness factor, making us want to go further towards our next achievement.

My cousin may be overwhelmed by the thought she will ever be selfsufficient at home when she can hardly get out of a wheelchair but I remind her that today she stood up unaided for a few minutes, and tomorrow she will stand up for a few minutes more, and even take her first unaided step. My sister’s chemotherapy will leave her feeling tired and mentally exhausted, but rather than just relegate herself to the couch for a few days, she filled up her bird feeders today, so she could enjoy her feathered friends as she sat outside on a sunny fall afternoon. Each of their small wins is worth celebrating as a step towards the ultimate goal.

Celebrating small wins might seem silly (as each of my relatives has pointed out), but not recognizing these small achievements means you aren’t recognizing the progress you are making, which can be detrimental to your motivation and stymie your momentum. At the end of every day, think about everything you did that day, and recognize the positive achievements, no matter how small. You will keep yourself motivated, recharge your energy and effect positive behavioral changes.

Be thankful for all your wins, small and big, and celebrate yours as well as those of friends and family this Thanksgiving.

Lizbeth A. Dison Publisher and Editor