The importance of small wins
The importance of small wins cannot be understated. When you are trying to make a change in your life, particularly a big change, it can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to see to the end, when the goal has been achieved and you are comfortable in the change you have made.
In previous blogs we have spoken about breaking down your goal into small manageable chunks to overcome. You can read this blog here.
Micro Habits – Small Steps Equal Big Changes
If we focus on each step rather than the overall whole moving forwards and making progress will feel less overwhelming and impossible. As part of that process it can be important to notice the small accomplishments that you make along the way and look out for the unexpected wins that you weren’t expecting.
Lets take losing weight as an example. You have broken down your goal into manageable chunks, this might look like focusing on only losing a 1lb or ½ lb at a time, or it might be focusing on developing a healthy habit like eating more fruit and vegetables, drinking more water, or doing more exercise.
As you begin to lose weight you may notice other benefits, your clothes fit better, you’ve lost inches off your body, its easier to walk up a flight of stairs, you feel stronger, you feel more confident, you are sleeping better, your able to lift more weights at the gym or walk or run further or quicker.
Small wins can be the incremental movements we are making towards our goal and the other accompanying consequences. Noticing all the changes can help to motivate us to keep going in our journey and make our journey of change richer and more interesting.
Lets take another example, you want to change your job or career. You have broken down the process for making this happen, writing a CV, actively searching job sites, speaking to friends and colleagues, considering courses or training that might help, applying for jobs, getting experience and feedback.
The process of finding a new job or career can be daunting, the small wins here might include, revamping your work wardrobe so that you are confident in how you look, reviewing and internalizing your experience and skills so feeling more confident about your abilities, reconnecting with colleagues and friends, expanding your horizons and exploring new options, gaining new skills, learning from feedback how to perform more effectively, understanding from experiences the kinds of places you do and do not want to work.
Whatever change you are trying to make can be lightened by noticing the little wins, this noticing will also keep you in the present and motivated to keep going, it will help you to not get tangled up in the frustration of not achieving your goal faster or the regret of having to make the change at all.
You might be interested in these articles on the importance and power of small wins
Harvard Business Review – The Power of Small Wins
TED.com – How to make your small wins work for you
Talkspace.com – Why you should celebrate small wins
If you are struggling with making a change in your life or any issue that you feel Paul might be able to assist you with through Counselling or EMDR please contact Paul in confidence on 07843 813537. Please leave a message if he can’t answer your call and he will call you back as soon as possible. If you have any other questions or enquiries please call or send him a message by completing the online enquiry form. Due to COVID Paul is currently working exclusively online or on the telephone.
