The power of small wins
January came and went.
Frankly, starting the year in January seldom works for me. I need an extra month to wrap things up from last year, take a breather from the holidays, and ease into the new year.
Yeah, right!
How to handle the pressure we impose ourselves to follow through New Year resolutions? By holding ourselves accountable through the lens of small wins.
Resolutions carry an inherent message of duty and obligation: Lose 10 lbs. Meditate daily. Find a new job. It implies failure if goal is not met. There is no middle ground. What if you lose 7 lbs and not 10? What if you meditate four days a week instead of 7?
Small wins offer the opportunity to focus on progress not the end result. Other benefits of small wins?
- Discourages self-judgment
- Counteracts the blame game
- Allows for flexibility
- Encourages self-compassion
I experienced the power of small wins recently. Determined to meditate at least 20 minutes daily, I started the year strong. Then, on day 17, life happened and I missed a day. Yup. Just like that. The day went by fast and, before I knew it, it was day 18. Meditating for 40 minutes in one day was not going to make up for a missed day.
I took a long (very long) deep breath, acknowledged, and made peace with the desire to put myself down. As I inhaled I thought of those 17 days where I felt rested and relaxed. I planted the seed of gratitude and joy for what I had accomplished. The whole process felt hopeful and energizing.
Self-criticism didn’t give up easily, though. Every so often I heard, “but you didn’t,” “you should have,” “why didn’t you.” Centering on the breath helped me focus on day 18. That was all I could do.
And somehow I made it to day 19.
PS. If you are not convinced perhaps reading an article from the Harvard Business Review might persuade you.
