Setting big goals is easy. The journey to achieving them can be long, full of challenges, and at times feel like they are unobtainable. Achieving our big goals aren’t going to happen overnight. Heck, they aren’t going to happen in a week or even a month. Our long term goals are set to give us something to work hard towards every single day. A lack of motivation can set in when we start to reflect and feel that we are unsure of how far away we are from our goals. Self-doubt kicks in and we start to feel that our goal is miles away when it might be just around the corner. If we give up, we will never know how close our goal really is.
That is where celebrating the small wins and victories comes into play. It is crucial to acknowledge the small wins you have on your journey to achieving great things. Sure, they aren’t the ultimate end goal, but they are very important steps to getting you to where you want to be. Whether it is crushing a run during your training for a race, starting a morning workout routine, or writing down what you’re grateful for everyday, those little things are worth celebrating in your journey. Acknowledging those small little wins can help us feel pride and happiness that can play a major factor in keep us moving forward to our end goal. Here are some important steps we can take to make sure we are keeping the small victories and maintaining the course to our long-term goals:
- Appreciation: Appreciation is key. Whether it is appreciating the positive steps you have taken in your life or the role a mentor has played in your journey, showing appreciation for yourself and others can fill up your happy cup. Appreciating those small wins on your journey can be the difference between failing and succeeding.
- Remember Your Foundation: The small wins are great. Take the time to celebrate them but remember the foundation you have built to get there. The foundation is there to help you through not just the moments of failure, but the moments of success. Your foundation can remind you of your ultimate end goal when you think you’ve accomplished more than you need to with your small wins. It will keep you humble.
- Developing Successful Habits: Habits are key when we are on the journey to accomplishing the things we want most. We talk about it here all of the time. Successful habits equal success. It can seem tough to adapt to new routines, but celebrating those small moments when you do brings us positive feedback to help us maintain those habits.
- Stay in the Present Moment: This can be the most difficult challenge when we are chasing our goals. It can get easy to think about the future or think about failures you have had on our journey. Remember to stay present. Focus on where your feet are. We all want instant gratification to get where we want to be. You might be marathon training, run your first 10 mile run, and feel like you have a long way to go. Take a step back, reflect on where you got, and celebrate that!
- Focus on Smaller Goals: Adding in smaller goals that are achievable on your journey to your larger goals gives you moments of success. It gives you moments to celebrate and enjoy the path you’re on.
- Keep Your Perspective: Perspective is everything. The mindset you bring to the field or to the life every single day can have such a major impact on the outcome of what you’re trying to achieve. It can also play a factor in how you perceive the journey to your goal. You can either make it feel like it is work or shift your perspective to focus on the positive reasons you are on this journey.
Remember to always keep staying the course. Life is going to throw you wild cards every day and they will be opportunities to learn and grow from them. Make sure you celebrate the small victories to help keep your perspective focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. It may seem like your goal is unattainable at times but know that these challenges and small victories along the way are just a small part in getting you where you want to be.
