What comes to mind when you think about your accomplishments? Chances are, you are primed to recall major milestones in your life. It may be a promotion, successfully overcoming a crisis at work, winning a large project or even scoring straight A’s in your exams.
Although these big wins are desirable, they do not happen often. So how do you continue motivating yourself when you encounter setbacks?
The answer may lie in celebrating your small wins in life. Essentially, these are the things you did that made you feel better or more productive. Perhaps you managed to meditate for five minutes or read a few pages of a book, all these deserve credit because you tried to work on them.
Research also shows that there are plenty of reasons to keep track of your minor milestones.
Benefits of recognising small victories
- It improves your emotional health.
Psychiatrist Dr David Burns believes that we should keep a record of the major and minor accomplishments in our lives and celebrate them.
As Dr Burns writes in his book Feel Good: “You may assume you must do everything at once instead of breaking each job down into small, discrete, manageable units which you can complete one step at a time.” But the truth is that it is more effective to begin with a smaller goal instead of an ambitious one because we may feel daunted by the effort required to reach a difficult goal.
The act of celebrating small victories is also commonly used in cognitive behavioural therapy to boost the moods of depressed individuals. For instance, psychologists encourage their clients to break their goals into smaller steps so that they are easier to achieve.
Once individuals accomplish that minor milestone, the reward centre in their brain is activated, releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine which makes you feel happy.
- It motivates you.
Dr Teresa Amabile, a Harvard Business School professor and co-author of The Progress Principle analysed the diary entries of thousands of workers and found that what increased these employees’ motivation and emotions during their workdays was making progress in meaningful work. What is considered meaningful varies from person to person, but you are likely to be more motivated when the work is aligned with your core values.
Dr Amabile’s findings show that employees who celebrated minor milestones such as “figuring out why something was not working correctly”, tend to feel more elated compared to those who did not.
- It boosts your self-esteem.
People with low self-esteem tend to have a negative opinion of themselves. They constantly worry about being inadequate and feel that they are unable to do many things. As a result of seeing themselves poorly, these individuals often find it hard to recognise their positive qualities.
If you have low self-esteem, you may want to start keeping a list of small victories to change your impression of yourself for the better.
So, how do you begin keeping track of your daily small wins?
Dr Amabile suggests spending five to 10 minutes a day documenting what you have done. If possible, try setting a daily reminder to do this task at the same time each day for consistency. For example, you can choose to pen what you did every evening after work.
There are many ways to keep your list. You may prefer to type it in the notes section of your handphone or write it in your diary. Regardless of your preference, here’s a sample template to get you started.
1 Jan 2022
Personal small wins:
Folded the laundry.
Took a 15-minute stroll around my neighbourhood.
Did grocery shopping.
Spent time playing with my children.
Work-related small wins:
Managed to end a meeting on time.
Resolved an IT issue on my own.
Reached a resolution successfully during the meeting.
Remember to reflect on the list every week and if you’d like you may want to give yourself a small treat as a reward.
Ultimately, the list of things you’ve achieved can also serve as a form of encouragement when you suffer a setback. During such tough times, it’s easy to fall into the trap of chastising yourself for making mistakes. Instead of doing that, try remembering how far you have come.
So, pick up that pen and start jotting down the small wins of your day. The next time you need a boost in self-confidence, refer to it and marvel at your progress!
To learn how to be your best possible self at work, make an appointment for life coaching by emailing edmund@healingspace.sg