Small progress is still progress. But have you ever realized and appreciated it? Sometimes big desires cloud a person's eyes so they don't realize the small achievements they have experienced.
And when these big desires are not fulfilled, what happens is just demotivation. Even getting back up in this phase will be harder than before. That's why you need to celebrate small wins on your journey to success.
By celebrating small wins, it will motivate you to keep moving forward even though various difficulties come your way.
What are Small Wins?
Small wins are anything you achieve along with the goals you set. There are many kinds of small wins. He can relate to work, habits, finances, and much more. The activity of checking off a to-do list one by one, completing a chapter in a book, tidying up the desk and things at home, are simple examples of small wins.
However, in reality, these small wins are often ignored, especially by those who like to criticize themselves or who tend to perfectionism.
On the one hand, small wins are closely related to a person's perspective on certain goals. One example is Thomas Alva Edison's journey in discovering the light bulb. It took Edison nearly 10,000 attempts to create a light bulb. People view it as perhaps a huge “failure” before finally finding success. But Edison didn't think so. He said, “I did not fail. I just found 10,000 ways that don't work.”
In other words, Edison turned failure into success because his perspective focused on achievement rather than failure. It's pretty clear he celebrates small wins and sees them as achievements.
Reasons Why Small Wins Should Be Celebrated
Small wins are concrete achievements of anything that you can immediately feel. This can create momentum that will spur you to realize various other small wins. The small achievements you get will keep you in the right direction in achieving certain goals.
Because you are motivated by concrete results from small wins, this can prevent you from thinking and having the attitude of procrastinating. You will be happier taking action immediately, rather than postponing it.
Believe that successful habits equals success. What this means is that celebrating small wins will help build the habits you need to keep moving forward.
This is related to the human brain which actually needs positive feedback. Therefore, celebrating small wins will develop an “addiction to progress” towards the next step.
Lack of positive energy makes it difficult to achieve anything. You can overcome this by celebrating small wins because it will give you energy that will continue to increase over time.
When you start to accumulate a lot of energy, you will feel more motivated to complete everything or everything on your list, from big to small. You can do it with confidence. Because, from the small wins that have been celebrated, you have indirectly acknowledged that you are capable and capable of continuing to move forward.
From small efforts carried out regularly, that is what creates big changes. Celebrating small wins helps you see that although you may not have reached your final goal, you are on your way to getting there. You can also keep track of how far your progress is and what you can do to improve it.
How to Celebrate Small Wins
Well, now is the time for you to celebrate small wins. The key here is to start small, keep pushing for progress, and appreciate yourself. For more details, see the following explanation.
When faced with big goals, you can get stuck in the habit of procrastinating. At that time you will think that it is difficult to realize so you decide to postpone it.
If that's the case, then you need to divide the big goal into several smaller goals. These small goals allow you to achieve them and concretely see your progress. Small successes will make you feel comfortable to make small or bigger steps in the future.
By recording each small win, it will remind you of how far you have come to achieve your goal. You may give up because you don't realize how close you are to success and forget how much effort you have put in.
Rewarding each progress makes you happier and more satisfied in going through the existing process. These gifts are not always goods or other expensive things. You can take a moment to go for a walk, watch a movie, or something else that you might leave for a moment while you focus on pursuing a certain goal.
Use it one night a week for self-care. Do whatever makes you feel good, for example you might sleep more at that time or you need skin care, and so on.
Lastly, don't forget to be grateful. Take a moment to be grateful for what you achieved before and what you will achieve in the future. Gratitude can improve your mood and also make you more confident.
That's the importance and way to celebrate small wins. Enjoying gradual progress in this way will make your long-term goals feel easier to achieve even though the process may be long. As the saying goes, "win small, win early, win often". Happy celebrating your small wins!