Everyone needs to celebrate small wins because everyone has failed in life. That’s just another fact of living. Even Alexander didn’t get the horse facing right the first time. Alright, maybe he did, but that’s why he’s called The Great. None of us are called The Great. So we have failed again and again miserably. What happens to people who keep on failing? We get miserable. Low self-confidence, zero self-esteem, depleted testosterone levels if you’re a guy, and basically, you’re emotionally scarred for life if you keep on failing.
Everyone needs a good win every now and then. Otherwise, life’s just not worth it. And it doesn’t need to be much. A win could simply be a smile from someone you respect, a pat on the back, or getting the trash can on your first volley. Having your article become viral. Nothing big, but we all need a win.
The easiest way to score a win is to aim low, really low. When you have a small goal that you know you can achieve, go do that, and get your win. People overlook this simple strategy of winning. They consider only the big wins as worthy of consideration, when, in fact, small wins can help you mentally and physically. You get all those endorphins pumping through your system.
Step 1: Get small wins
That’s why I propose to you to plan your day so that you begin with some small wins. Instead of waking up and checking the email with people bombarding you with marketing promos and work-related headaches, kickstart each day with something good that you can do. So these are the two conditions: The activity needs to be simple and it must be good for you. It could be chugging down a health drink, a 5-min exercise routine, learning something new for 15 minutes, meditating, cleaning your desk, calling someone who’d love to hear your voice (mostly, your mother), gardening, spending 10 minutes listening (just listening) to your partner, and so on.
You do not need to win the Olympics to feel happy. (Image: Public Domain via Pixabay)
What this does is start your day in the most controllable, positive way. Controllable because you make the effort every day, and you are responsible for it. The positive mindset reward that this small win does for your entire day is quite significant. One thing leads to the other. Your state of mind reflects how you talk and deal with other people in your life from home to work. They sense the positivity and it makes their day better. The snowballing effect will result in better work and home environments.
Now, not everything will change for the better. As soon as you finish your small victory routine, you may have to hear something bad. That’s life. But now, you are a bit more prepared for it. Otherwise, it’ll be too much for you to handle. But please, before proceeding further, do this and make a habit of it. Then, move on to the next step.
Step 2: Increasing duration
The next step in the process is increasing the duration of your routine. Suppose it’s doing a 5-min exercise routine; for the next step, increase that to 15 minutes. Not much, but better than before. What happens when you do this?
It creates more impact on your life. The more meaningful things you do and the more small wins you experience each day, the more respect you will have for yourself, and the more self-confident you will get. You can handle more pressure now. In short, it’ll take a lot more to get you down; when before, a small incident would have done it for you.
Enjoy the small pleasures of life. (Image: via Pixabay)
Step 3: Small stuff
Now for step 3. Do not allow the small things to bother you. Life has problems along with hundreds of tiny irritations. You can’t do much about problems other than suffer through them, but for the irritations, they’re best left unchecked. Do not even acknowledge them. If someone cuts you off in traffic or yells a nasty comment, just forgive them and move on.
Everyone in this world suffers in their own way; some handle it better while others scream on the highway. So just take in a deep breath and forgive. This is an exercise, and the more you do it, the better you become.
You see around you people who are just happy all the time. Do not presume that they don’t have problems. It’s just that they don’t allow those problems to affect them as much. All life’s challenges are present for them as well, but they see goodness in small wins and cherish them. Now, even if you don’t get to step 2, that’s okay. But combine the first step and the third for an invincible day of small wins.
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