The "Little" Wins

“Celebrate the little wins”. This is a phase I’ve used more than a handful of times. It’s one that many people have probably heard af some point in their lives. But what does it actually mean to do that? Why can it be so hard to do? And what, if any, benefit does doing this have?

First, it might be helpful to define what these little wins are. This is somewhat challenging as “little” is subjective, but here is my working definition. The “little wins” are the things you accomplish that you wouldn’t think to tell friends and family;  the things you wouldn’t identify as goals or resolutions; the things you wouldn’t normally think are worth noting. Again, this is subjective and heavily dependent on the individual, but just to better illustrate the idea, here are some examples: taking a shower, eating a meal, greeting a friend, taking a short break, responding to a text, getting out of bed, sitting up for 5 minutes, etc. 

What we don’t always think about is how much effort it takes to do these seemingly simple tasks. The muscles that need to be flexed and contracted, the pumping of blood through the body, the desire to want to do any of these things, and the functioning of the brain that makes it all possible. For every action we take, we send our minds/bodies on a small journey with billions of microscopic messengers called neurons, giving the GPS directions on how to reach their destination. And too often, we overlook just how amazing all of this is.

But when we take the time to acknowledge these efforts, it puts things into perspective. It makes us remember that the “big” stuff is impossible without the smaller steps. It puts us in a mindset of gratitude where we recognize the value of every action and honour that. To continue pushing forward each day is no small feat and is indeed worth celebrating!