Celebrate The Little VICTORIES

Living a flourishing life should ultimately be the greatest goal everyone one of us has in our lives. Achieving a flourishing life is a process and it does not all happen overnight. But there are steps you can take along the way that serve to inspire and motivate you.

Keywords: Flourishing | Goals | Happiness | Free Article

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What Good Did I Do Today?

Sometimes in life, we get so caught up in the day to day struggle that it is easy to lose sight of the pic picture of our life as a whole and to just slog through the rat race until we crash at night, wake up the next morning, and do it all over again. Eventually, this can lead to a lack of motivation, passion, and even depression. Once we fall into this kind of mental routine, we will lose sight of any goals or purpose in our lives. But even if this sounds like you, there is a simple technique to immediately start the process of breaking out and getting back on a track to flourishing. It is in acknowledging the little victories.

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What Are Little Victories?

Little victories are whatever good you did that day. Now, I realize that by saying “good”, that is going to conjure a lot of preconceived notions in people’s minds. Here, I am not talking about “good” being measured by a standard of sacrifice or charity or things you did for other people that inside you really resented. Instead, when I ask what “good” you did today, I mean what actions did you take (either physically or mentally) that were a step toward your own livelihood and flourishing which were consistent with your values and your goals?

For example, if you praised the efforts of your team at work when talking to your boss, that would be something good you did consistent with a value of honesty and justice. Conversely, if you stabbed your coworker in the back today to beat him to that promotion, that would NOT be an example of having done good consistent with your values. As with all flourishing, it can only take place when your actions are integrated with your values and goals.

These could be big things or they could be small, seemingly insignificant things. For example, maybe you finally accomplished losing that 10 lbs of weight you wanted to lose in time for your vacation. Or, maybe all you can really say is just that you went to work today and put in an honest day’s work. That in itself is something good you did. It is one day that contributes to your livelihood, gives you a paycheck so you can continue to support yourself and your loved ones.

The great thing about little victories is that they do not necessarily have to be explicit, deliberate goals that you pursued and achieved. Little victories can be things that you did without even considering them.

This is not a new concept. So credit where credit is due—this idea of little victories is actually based on Benjamin Franklin’s personal journal and how he used to plan his day. One of the key things he would remind himself of every night is “What good did I do today?” And this is what I am now using as a technique to keep you motivated and inspired in your day to day life.

Keep It Up!

The key to this technique is doing it every day, at the end of the day. Repeat this until it becomes a routine. After all, it only takes a few minutes. And, you will be surprised at how good you will feel after doing it. Take note of that. Really pay attention to how you feel after doing this task every night and acknowledge that good feeling and attribute it to having done the technique.

To make it even more significant, I encourage you to physically write it down with pen and paper. There is something to the extra effort that goes into writing something down physically than there is in just saying it, even if it is out loud. Furthermore, there is something even more important to writing in pen and paper over electronically on a phone or computer. It is the extra little effort that goes into it. It requires more engagement by the brain to write something down and this, in turn, binds what you write to your subconscious mind better.

Conclusion

Achieving a fully flourishing life is a long-term goal and a long-term process. But you have a powerful motivator along the way by stopping to smell the roses. Recognize and acknowledge your short-term accomplishments, whether daily, weekly, or monthly. Then, once you have identified them, take the time to appreciate your victory. It is necessary soul food to nourish you and see you through to the next step and on toward the next goal.

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