Little Victories

"I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's." - Henry Moore

The little, every day wins are incredibly important in a professional journey. They are what keep us going and continually moving forward. Without little victories to celebrate, we would only look at the huge task or goal. While focusing on the big picture is not a bad thing at all, a lengthy process for attaining that picture can quickly become discouraging. That's why it is so important to be on the lookout for those little victories and to celebrate them when they come along. Today, let's think about the little victories in life in the three following areas: measurability, motivation, and meaning.

1. Measurability

As I've mentioned previously, it's important that your goals be measurable so that you know how you're doing. Maybe that goal of being a manager in your company one day starts with making a good to-do list and increasing your productivity. That goal of a beach body starts with a single workout and a healthy eating plan. Those are just a couple of examples of the little, measurable things that we do on the way to the prize.

Little victories are not what get us up in the morning, but they are what keeps us getting up in the morning. The thought of getting that promotion is what gets us up to work. However, the fact that we did so well at the job yesterday is what keeps us going back to try harder. That brings us into our second area of motivation.

2. Motivation

If you're ever going to reach your goals, you need to figure out what really motivates you. When getting up early is not really first on your mind while laying in your warm sheets, what is it that is going to make you get up anyway? That being said, figure out the little rewards you enjoy for your little victories that make them worth it. For example, a good relaxing walk with my wife over my lunch break is my reward for working hard in the morning. The rewards and victories don't have to be big. They just need to motivate you to keep trying.

3. Meaning 

Let's make all of this a bit more practical. Think of your goal like a mountain. It will be a treacherous, long, hard climb to the top. But at it's peak, the view will be spectacular. Getting there will increase your confidence in your ability, teach you new skills, and show you the top of the next mountain in the distance. But as I stated earlier, looking at a mountain the entire climb can get pretty overwhelming. The good news is that every mountain is made up of molehills. They aren't very big or very difficult to climb; but they come together to make that glorious mountain. My challenge to you is this: Celebrate the molehills you step over to get up the mountain you're climbing.

Craig Ballantyne put it very well when he said this:

"Success comes in spurts." - Craig Ballantyne

Be happy and reward yourself for the spurts of success. It will make the goal seem much more attainable, continually motivate you, and give you a way to measure your progress. After several weeks of counting molehills, you find out that you're half-way up the mountain. So keep climbing. Just don't spend all of your time and energy focused on the distance. Keep your thoughts here and now on the day's resolutions. You'll get much higher more quickly as a result.

Stay classy,

Andrew