Learning to Celebrate the Tiny Victories
Remember all those goals and resolutions you set out to accomplish at the beginning of the New Year?
Maybe you set out to lose weight or to ditch social media, or maybe you wanted to go out on a leap and start a new business.
Whatever it is that you set out to accomplish, you’re probably not there yet.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be celebrating.
Learning to Celebrate the Tiny Victories
I personally set a lot of goals for myself at the beginning of the year, and I’m one of those who makes monthly, weekly, and even daily goals for myself that I sometimes fail to accomplish or even scratch the surface with.
But then there’s days, moments even where I rock at something.
Maybe I didn’t get all 20 things on my to-do list accomplished, but instead I managed to absolutely knock the socks off of the first 5 items on the list.
And you know what? Those 5 things deserve to be celebrated.
We all spend so much time setting goals and hustling to get from point A to point B that somewhere along the way we forget to stop and smell the roses and celebrate the small accomplishments.
Yes, the starting and end points are important, but so are all the in-betweens.
We get it in our head that just because it isn’t a major life milestone that it isn’t worthy of being celebrated, but that’s just crazy.
Maybe you didn’t lose 15 lbs. in 3 months, but you lost 5 and that’s still an amazing accomplishment.
Or maybe you don’t yet have enough to buy your first home, but you’ve managed to successfully save enough for a down payment.
Another victory worth celebrating.
You see, when you don’t take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the small accomplishments and the tiny victories, you lose your sense of joy and you lose sight of what you set out to even accomplish in the first place.
How To Celebrate The Tiny Victories
So what can we do?
Well for starters, stop belittling your successes.
I’ll go ahead and admit, I’m the world’s worst at making light of something because it’s “no big deal”, but if you managed to accomplish something (no matter how big or small) take the time out to acknowledge it.
Did you go for a walk outside today? Check one for team victory!
Did you get that report turned in early? Score!
Get rid of the negative mentality that things are not big or “important” enough to celebrate and learn to rejoice in your small victories.
Second, share your success with others.
I know we’re all always afraid of sharing our successes with others because we think it will seem like we’re bragging, but trust me when I say that we all need supporters in life, and encouragers even.
Maybe it’s your husband or your mom, or maybe you have that one person you can always talk to at work.
Find your go-to people in life and share your successes with them.
In return they’ll be able to share their own successes with you, which creates a happier world all around.
Oprah Winfrey said it best when she said “The More You Celebrate Your Life, The More There Is In Life To Celebrate.”
Let’s start celebrating our lives and stop worrying so much about the “big stuff”.
We may have mountains to climb to get to where we want to go, but take breaks and celebrate every mile marker along the way.
Live the life you love and learn to love every minute of it.
And when the going gets tough and you managed to get through it, give yourself a big pat on the back and celebrate with a cookie and a glass of wine, even if it is a Monday night.
You deserve it.
So today I challenge you to celebrate your tiny victories!
To not even worry about what you have to tackle before Friday, but to celebrate today- the here and now.
Did you manage to wake up without hitting the snooze button 5 times?
Celebrate that!
I’m celebrating the fact that I packed my kiddo’s lunch last night which put me 10 minutes ahead of the game this morning.
Share with me your tiny victories in the comments below and remember that no accomplishment is too small.
If you enjoyed today’s post, please feel free to share it with a friend. I’m sure somebody somewhere could use this reminder. 😉
Thanks for stopping by! – Cara
I have been making a list of things to do everyday and sometimes I accomplish all of it but sometimes I don’t. Most important thing in my life is taking time out to read my Bible everyday and spend time with your Mommy and make sure that you and your 2 brothers are okay , and the 2 little buddies. They are mine and your Mommy’s world. Love you and great post and the little things are important even it is one thing you get done that day.
Thanks, Dad. Love you all!
This is such a great reminder! It’s so easy to get caught up in the fails or take the little victories for granted. Sometimes you just need to celebrate the small things because even the small things are important! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes
Definitely! Plus the small things turn into big things in the end! 🙂
Great reminder, Cara! This is something I struggle with in my life. But, I have been working on trying to see these little victories more often. This is my work in process.
At the end of the day all we can do is try to keep improving and learning from our journeys! 🙂
LOVE this! Everything is SO true, Cara!
I for one, don’t share my successes with others, especially my blogging successes, mainly because they seem so irrelevant to others and because there are SO many other bloggers out there who are doing the same thing, it’s like nothing to them.
xo, Lily
Beauty With Lily
Girl- sometimes I feel like we’re the same person lol… I have that same conversation with myself in my head, BUT at the end of the day just because someone else accomplished the EXACT same thing doesn’t mean that your accomplishment is any less important or amazing. We are all amazing and special in our own unique way and we need to remember that! P.S. you can share your accomplishments with me anytime, I’ll celebrate with ya! 🙂
I love this post and its so true! Celebrating things even small victories just makes you feel good inside. Some small victories that I’ve had are selling two items on Poshmark last week and having Covergirl comment on one of my pictures on IG asking for permission to use it.
Woo hoo! That’s awesome! No small feat with either of them! 🙂
Soooo much yes to this Cara!!! IT’s SO important to celebrate our little wins! They are the only thing that keep me feeling good or excited about my progress a lot of the time!
Thanks Rachel! I agree- if you don’t stop to celebrate a little along the way, you may lose the motivation it takes to make it to the end game.
i’m a big supporter of celebrating the small wins and totally agree with oprah…such a great quote!
Thanks Jessica!
Those small victories are what keep me going sometimes! Especially when I get down on myself.
Me too girl! Plus it’s always good to focus on the positives over the negatives. 🙂
I think it’s important to look back at milestones and celebrate them. Sometimes we get so caught on the process that we forget to realize that a goal has been achieved.
Yep! Just putting one foot in front of the other is an accomplishment some days, and it’s totally okay to celebrate that! 🙂
I love this so much! It’s so easy this time of year for me to look at where I’ve failed with my new year’s resolutions, but I’m going to take your advice and focus on the small things I’ve accomplished too!
They say that March/April is about the time where people give up on their resolutions, so that’s why I felt like this post was very timely. You can accomplish whatever you set your mind to, Laura. Best of luck! 🙂
I’m also guilty of not giving myself credit. Sometimes just admitting how much we DO accomplish is what we need to keep us going.
So true. One little accomplishment may be the only thing that keeps you motivated to keep pushing forward. 🙂
This is such a great thing to remember! Especially for people feeling like they haven’t done enough. And I absolutely love that Oprah quote! 🙂
Thanks Malissa, so glad you enjoyed it!
I could not love this more. I’m all about celebrating the little things – even if it’s making it to Friday.
Glad you enjoyed it Lindsay! And guess what– we made it to Friday, girl! Woo-hoo! 🙂
I love this because it’s so true. Too often we get down on ourselves or don’t celebrate enough. We just had a workshop at work yesterday about celebrating attempts at things and even a no may get from someone because at least you are trying. Great message girlfriend!!
I’ve always been such a fan of the quote “If you never ask, the answer all always be no”. Never beat yourself up over trying, because in the end trying for something is better than not trying at all. Thank-you, glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
YAS to Oprah’s quote–so dar powerful and important to remind ourselves! Loved your message in this post, Cara! It was a great reminder for me today 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Its why I love a check list with easy things scattered in there – it gives me something to mark off & feel accomplished 😉
Haha I know! Tell me I’m not the only one that puts “eat lunch” on the list. 😉
Yaaaas this message + Oprah’s quote are both SO SPOT ON. I’m admittedly awful at this sometimes, but it makes the BIGGEST difference to sit back and really celebrate EVERY success, no matter how “small”!
Coming Up Roses
Thanks Erica! It really does add so much joy to your life when you celebrate the little things. 🙂
This is just what I needed to hear this morning. I pinned the Oprah quote. Love it!
Thank-you Leah! 🙂
Celebrating the small stuff helps you not wish away the days – so important! Good reminder.
Yes! We all are constantly wishing for the next big thing in our lives, but the unfortunate part is if you never stop and look around at the here and now you’ll miss it before it’s already passed you by, and it’s just as important.
So well said, Cara! I love this, and I think we all need a lot more of this in our lives. I also think the more you celebrate the smaller victories, the more likely you are to continue toward your goal. That happiness and pride you feel along the way can catapult you to your end goal.
That’s true, Jennifer! Anytime you accomplish something it keeps motivating you to push even harder to reach your end goal. 🙂
Beautiful post, and so true! Especially loving that Oprah quote <3
Green Fashionista
Thanks Kate! Oprah is a smart woman! 🙂
I agree with this post a lot. Especially when you said that “if you don’t celebrate the little victories, you lose the sense of joy and why you wanted to accomplish the goal in the first place.” (not word for word.) I think that when you always keep going and you never appreciate what you have accomplished, no matter how small it is, by the time you get to your big end goal, it won’t mean quite so much because you won’t remember what it took to get there. Great post 🙂
Spot on- Marvina! That’s so true! If you can’t celebrate the journey, then the end result won’t feel quite as good. Thank-you! 🙂
I needed to read this today, Cara! Thank you a ton. “Stop belittling your successes.” WOW. I need to make a print of this for my new home office!
So glad you found it helpful Summer! I love putting up motivational quotes around me- it really does serve as great daily reminders. 🙂
Yes!!! I know in the past I would dwell on not getting everything accomplished that I set out to. With time I have told myself that it’s okay not to accomplish everything because I has success with other things. We really do have to get out of that negative mind set. This is such a great reminder!!!
Exactly, Mistle! Perspective is everything, and you can always turn a situation around, by focusing on the positives. 🙂
Yes! I’ve really been working on this. Nothing good ever comes from belittling your own successes!
So true! I’m glad to hear that you’re getting better at this too! 🙂
This is great, sometimes I get so wrapped up in the lofty goals I set I forget to enjoy tiny moments! I need to work on that this week!
Thanks Jamie! Celebrating the small wins can bring you so much joy! 🙂
Yes girl! This post is so inspirational. I’m such a huge believer of celebrating the little things!
Thanks Leslie! I think you have to, otherwise life would be pretty miserable. We’re not always going to be able to move mountains everyday, so you have to learn to celebrate the baby milestones along the journey. 🙂
I’ve been really down on myself lately and this was just the motivation I needed. It’s so important to give yourself credit for the little things that all add up in the end!
So glad you found it encouraging, Shane! all the little things do add up and they deserve to be celebrated! 🙂
Yes! There is so much more joy in life when we celebrate the good!
So true, Courtney!
This is such a good reminder, especially because some days I am too hard on myself for some little thing I didn’t do instead of celebrating my accomplishments. You’re so right!
I used to be bad for doing that too. Like my kitchen is an absolute wreck, but I still managed to do all the laundry. Instead of focusing on the fact that my kitchen is a disaster zone, focus on the other items I DID accomplish. We all need to show ourselves more grace and celebrate the little things. 🙂
It is so important to celebrate the small victories. Otherwise sometimes you are waiting forever to celebrate the big ones!
xo Jessica
http://www.whatsfordinneresq.com
Yep! I sometimes think about how we’re always contemplating the next big thing (graduation, buying a home, vacation, etc.) but all the in-betweens matter too, and if you get so caught up in the milestones you’ll miss all the current good stuff in your life. Really makes you become more self-reflective, I think.
I feel like i need to print that quote and live my life by it!
I know, right?! SUCH a good quote! 🙂
Oh my gosh girl, I so needed this today. Sometimes you just have to give yourself credit for being present and showing up!
So true! We all have those days where it’s a victory to literally just get out of bed. Nothing wrong with celebrating that either. 🙂
Great advice on recognizing even small success it what keeps us going.
The little things are what motivate us to accomplish the big things! 🙂
Totally agree with not feeling bad for your successes. It’s a really good way to build yourself and other people up 🙂
Definitely! When you’re happy, others around you are happy, and it just keeps spreading! 🙂
Ah you’re right, it is so easy to miss all the little victories because we’re too focused on the big things we didn’t accomplish yet! Today I am going to make a list of small victories this week and thank God for them. 🙂
Yay, Sarah! We’re all so blessed beyond our measures. 🙂
This is so true. I think women generally are more likely to dismiss victories, or at least minimize their own contributions to it. But sometimes we need to remind ourselves to celebrate and take credit!
Definitely! Just because you do the same thing day in and day out, doesn’t mean that it is less worthy of being celebrated as an accomplishment.
Thanks Cara, I really need to start doing this more often. The little things do matter and I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Monday motivation for sure!!
You’re welcome, Lisa! Every victory no matter how small, is still a victory! 🙂
it’s 100% important to celebrate the small victories because even just small change in whatever you’re doing is better than not doing anything at all.
So true, Kathy! In terms of fitness, I know it always takes an individual the longest to notice the changes in their own body, while others can notice it about them very quickly. Just makes you realize how overly-critical we can sometimes be on ourselves. Cheers to celebrating the small wins! 🙂
My husband is really good at this. When I get lost in my own head, he starts challenging me back and forth to name a small victory, then he will. It’s a good exercise, even if it makes me crazy when I’m in a bad mood, lol.
Haha, gotta love the things our husbands do to keep us sane! 😉
Yes! I love this, Cara! It really is so important to celebrate the little things and the baby steps we’ve made. There are days that nothing fully gets knocked off my to-do list, but I have made big dents in the tasks. It’s good to remember that I can still celebrate what I did accomplish, even if I didn’t accomplish all that I had hoped.
Exactly, Kristin! And sometimes you don’t even realize the progress you’re making until you take a moment to really reflect on it, and you learn that you are accomplishing so much. 🙂
The perfect Monday post my love! I love that quote by Oprah Winfrey and yes so very important to celebrate all the tiny victories in life that make us who we are! Have a wonderful week!
Thanks Andrea! There’s always something in our lives worth celebrating, I think. 🙂