A founder can easily get caught up in running a company, focusing on problem-solving and achieving growth. I’ve realized that without taking time to pause and reflect on smaller wins, however, long-term success can be fleeting, not as rewarding, and can even cause burnout.
Obviously, a business owner must be driven. Yet you also have to honor your small steps and milestones as much as possible. Doing so will allow you to navigate all of the challenges that come with being a leader. Below are three reasons to recognize small wins in order to stay motivated, foster an environment of encouragement, and sustain your well-being professionally and personally.
3 Reasons to Celebrate Your Small Wins in Business
- It improves your mood and boosts confidence.
- It helps you stay focused on your goals.
- It fosters creativity and productivity.
It Improves Your Mood and Boosts Confidence
When you acknowledge minor successes on a daily basis, you will begin to feel a boost in your morale, mood and self-esteem. A switch goes off in your head that helps you make the most of the little things and crave the positive emotions that come with it.
You’ll always face setbacks at work, and some days will just be awful. Try not to let these problems get to you. Unfortunately, our brains tend to remember bad things and forget good ones. Don’t fall into this trap.
Instead, find ways to stay motivated about the progress you’re making. I like to track my movements by writing down in a notebook what I’ve managed to overcome that I’ve stuck to consistently. For example, I’ve been able to stay at Inbox Zero for years. This might not mean much to some people, but it does to me. Paying attention to small acts like this has made me resilient, it’s helped me believe in my abilities more, and it’s empowered me to face fears and frustrations in a healthy way.
Work can be stressful, especially when you’re the owner of a company. You have to give yourself and team members positive reinforcement. This is necessary if you hope to continue on, regardless of how incremental any progress may seem. And remember, sometimes no one else is going to celebrate you, which is why you have to always be your own biggest cheerleader.
It Helps You Stay Focused On Your Goals
When you’re always in “I need to fix it” mode, you can become exhausted. You can lose sight of what you hope to do in the long term. You have to discover ways to find clarity at work. Otherwise, daily tasks and interactions with colleagues will quickly start to become chaotic, which can delay your progress.
I’m not saying you should stop being solutions-oriented, but when you’re only trying to solve problems, you tend to hone in on what’s going wrong and what you’re lacking. Give yourself a break and realize that sometimes there’s no immediate fix. That’s perfectly okay. You’ll start to feel more calm and have a clear mind when you take unnecessary pressure off of yourself.
By celebrating small wins, you give yourself and everyone around you a bit of a break to slow down and enjoy these moments. Relaxation at work is crucial and allows sustainable operations. Celebrating small wins helps you become more focused and start to develop a plan toward both long- and short-term goals too. This will allow you to bring the larger vision for the business into closer proximity. You’ll notice an improvement in your concentration while also enjoying the journey of entrepreneurship.
It Fosters Creativity and Productivity
Tons of founders have a warped sense of productivity and how to do things that often ends up limiting creativity and hampers efficiency. This problem stems from the belief that everyone must work with urgency and that there’s no room for mistakes. Everything starts to become unrealistic when this happens. Nothing of quality comes from moving too fast and rushing deadlines. Ultimately, you and your work will be sloppy and confused. Worse, it may make those around you avoid collaboration.
With any large project or lofty goal, you have to break it down into actionable and achievable steps. Although this often happens at work, but we often miss the small victories that accompany each of these steps. Celebrating a small win helps you complete another and another. Before you know it, your long-term vision is closer than you originally thought.
I’ve felt much more satisfied with my workflow and more connected to my long-term desires for my life and business after doing this. Small wins are stepping stones. Plus, they create forward momentum and an abundance of free time that you otherwise didn’t have before.
Ask yourself: When was the last time you celebrated a small win, whether yours or someone you work with? If the answer to this question is “not recently” or “never,” then now is the time to start. You can celebrate a small win every day to shape a positive outlook despite any difficulties you might face along the way.
So, the next time you feel that your business is lacking confidence, concentration and productivity, don’t forget to stop and give yourself or someone else a pat on the back or a shoutout for the things we often overlook.
