I’ve been told I’m quite excitable, and I will admit it’s true. A compliment from a professor makes my day, I get extremely happy when I don’t have to wait for an empty dryer on laundry days, I carry a nostalgic warmth for days after a conversation with a school friend – you get it.
I know you might be wondering where this is going; the title of this article is ‘celebrating small wins’ while I am talking about my love of small joys. But that’s precisely my point. Despite cherishing my small joys, I haven’t always celebrated my small wins, or even truly acknowledged them. I always think about the manner in which we treat our friends with kindness and empathy, failing to extend the same grace to ourselves and (in my case at least) almost refusing to, or just forgetting to, celebrate the small wins. In finding a remedy to this case, recognition of the problem comes first; that is when the change can really begin.
Once recognition comes into play, I start my change in mindset, by beginning to let myself take the time to acknowledge the small wins, experience the high for longer than a minute, and let it stay an accomplishment for the “crushed it” feeling as opposed to ignoring the feeling, and missing out on the benefits that feeling good can provide. While I don’t know how universal this feeling is, I know that there has to be at least a few people who can relate: who truly appreciate a compliment but have a strange inability to just accept them. This trouble in accepting compliments is parallel to my experience in celebrating my small wins.
As an afterthought to this realization and experience, my mindset has changed, and I am purposely more conscious of my response to small wins, no matter what they are. A good grade on a small assignment is a win, a productive conversation with a professor is a win, a change in attitude is a win. I am still inclined to view the small wins as steps on my longer journey, but I feel a deeper sense of joy and satisfaction along the way, and with a greater awareness of how essential they are for the bigger wins on the long journey. A healthier mindset, more sound motivation, and good mental health all stem from this acknowledgement of the smaller wins. That is a win too, and one I will celebrate.