Leaning into Uncertainty: Celebrate Your Wins
Promoting positivity is more important than ever right now. Given the changes in your communities (and, for many of us, in our workspaces) in recent weeks, you may need to adjust your expectations for your own productivity or what you believe you need to accomplish each day. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by […]
Promoting positivity is more important than ever right now.
Given the changes in your communities (and, for many of us, in our workspaces) in recent weeks, you may need to adjust your expectations for your own productivity or what you believe you need to accomplish each day. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by your end goals and how far away they might seem.
By building daily habits, you give yourself the opportunity to set realistic, achievable goals. Goals are met when you are consistent. They are a series of micro-decisions that you make daily (sometimes even hourly!) that ladder up to meaningful change in your life. No matter your goal, consistency is key: the most effective way to change your habits is to focus on who you want to become, not necessarily what you want to achieve. You are what you repeatedly do, and tiny wins help reinforce your identity.
Keeping Momentum by Celebrating Wins
Remember a recent accomplishment, whether it was big or small, personal or professional? How did it feel? Why did it feel like a “win”?
Likely, it brought you back to your “why.” Motivation in its simplest form is your connection to your “why.” You identified yours when setting your goal and building a habit. It’s the motivation that pushes you to take the steps toward achieving your goals.
Every task, no matter how small, is a commitment toward making your goal happen. Remember your attitude right at the beginning? You were probably excited, a little bit anxious, a little nervous but overall feeling pretty positive about the whole thing. That’s because that motivation was still fresh. Your goals had just been created. And you were ready to start taking steps towards achieving them.
But what happens when your goal feels out of reach or the actionable steps toward achieving start to feel really daunting? When trying to achieve long-term goals, it can be really tough to keep that motivation fresh. Your attitude starts to change and you no longer approach the process with as much joy and excitement as you did before. How do you get that motivation back?
Celebrate wins! Whether it’s your win, a friend’s win, or your kid’s win, the wins will happen — and they should be recognized!
At the end of each day, reflect on (or write) the things that went well that day, or which habits you stuck to. Every one of those tiny wins catapults us into the change we are seeking.
A Note on Mastery
When you feel you are really doing something well, you are more motivated to keep doing it. However, many successful people don’t believe they are “masters” of their crafts. Mastery is not seeking perfection; it’s just seeking the next “near win.” Mastery comes in the reaching for, not in the achieving. A win propels us. What is the next near win you can reach for?
Disclaimer: The information in this blog is current as of April 3, 2020. Current policies, offerings, procedures, and programs may differ.
