Why You Should Be Celebrating Small Wins

Do you ever catch yourself thinking “ugh I should have done more,” or “wow…I said I was going to do all those things and didn’t get around to it.” How often have you gotten to the end of the day or the week and started to judge how little you've accomplished? Many of us tend to put ourselves down for the small mistakes and “failures” (I put that in quotes because I don't really believe in failure…more on that in a future post!) that happen and very rarely do we celebrate the small wins. 

“When we make a small mistake, we almost always feel bad about it. But when we accomplish a small goal, we almost never feel good about it.”

We spend so much time focusing on the big goals we want to accomplish, but not the tiny steps it takes to get there. So what if instead of beating yourself up over the things you didn't do, you threw that whole concept out the window and recognized the small wins. It can be as small as celebrating the fact that you got up to your first alarm, you made your bed, you got the laundry done, you cooked an awesome meal, or you got in a workout…It’s crazy how often things like working out can be turned negative by the perspective and focus, instead of “I got a work out in!” it’s “well I worked out but it wasn’t good enough or I didn't feel strong.”  My friend and I have a new motto, “half-ass burpees are better than no burpees!” 

Sure, perspective change is great but I love concrete reasons and science so let me give you even more! Celebrating wins activates the reward circuitry in the brain releasing chemicals (like dopamine) that fill you with feelings of pride, accomplishment, and simply make you feel good! Sometimes it can feel silly to celebrate tiny wins, like “yay, I ate vegetables today…who cares?” YOU SHOULD! You made a healthy food decision and by recognizing and celebrating that you’re reinforcing good habits, you’re celebrating becoming a stronger, healthier person, one small win at a time. 

Not only does it help you feel better, it improves your motivation and creates successful habits. Why would you want to keep doing something if you were constantly telling yourself you weren’t good enough? Now flip that around, if you were always recognizing what you did well you'd be far more likely to continue doing it.  It also gives you a better sense of appreciation and gratitude and centers you more in the present moment.  So many of us focus on the future and what we need to get done that we forget to enjoy the present moment, which is the only guaranteed time we have so why not make the most of it?

Now bonus points if you can write it down and/or share it with other people (social media is a great place for this!). Sharing your wins with other people can be hard, you may worry about coming across as selfish, narcissistic, or make others feel bad…but what if by sharing your wins it helped you stay more accountable AND helped someone else by making them feel inspired or maybe less alone? Share your wins and the steps it took you to get there and maybe you’ll even change someone else’s life in the process.

One of my favorite quotes that I heard during my health coaching training is “small hinges swing big doors.” Celebrating those small wins and creating those small positive habits, leads to massive changes and growth. So let me ask you…what small win are you celebrating today?