Celebrate Small Victories, Because They Are The Ones That Build The Great Achievements

“The great victory, which appears so simple today, was the result of a series of small victories that went unnoticed.”

Paulo Coelho

Victory! Arms raised above the shoulders or open to the world. Fingers pointing to the sky. Head back, sometimes looking up. The chest leaned forward. Smiles, shouts. These gestures of triumph have been seen in athletes of all cultures, even in high-performance blind athletes. They are quick, immediate universal expressions that are made after winning a battle. All this has been evidenced in a study on the body language of victory, carried out at San Francisco State University. It is an ancient gesture, a biologically innate behavior.

I ask you a question that I have asked myself: When was the last time you celebrated a victory? Some people I asked the question remembered only a few times, usually they could be counted with the fingers of one hand.

Culturally we tend to pay more attention to the bad things than to the good things. We tend to punish ourselves. Sometimes we do not realize all the good things, all the small triumphs that we achieve every day. And I guarantee that if we pay more attention, the positives of each day are much more than the negatives. A smile, a kiss, a hug, a gesture of gratitude or kindness, having helped another person, and many more. Additionally, we pay even less attention to small personal victories: having eaten one more fruit or vegetable during the day, one more glass of water, having done physical activity (no matter how small), having stopped for a few minutes at work to breathe, to stretch and relax. Having prayed, or meditated. Having read. Having a good rest. To have given thanks for being alive and for all the good things we have.

It is very important to celebrate every little victory. In doing so, our brain produces chemicals that provide well-being and happiness. For example, dopamine motivates us to take action to achieve our goals and gives us pleasure when we achieve them. Serotonin is released when we feel important and meaningful. These two molecules are neurotransmitters, messengers present in our brain, whose production we can increase by celebrating our victories or even remembering past victories. Furthermore, when we do something that gives us pleasure and we produce these substances, we want to repeat the experiences. It is a strategy that we can use to feel good, but also to record in our brain new positive habits, new behaviours. Therefore: Why wait for great achievements to celebrate? Why not use this strategy to improve ourselves? Great achievements are the result of a process of many small steps.

I invite you to congratulate yourself more and celebrate the small achievements of each day. One strategy that applies to me is to write down my mini-goals in a habit journal. You can find one in the support material (IT'S FREE, it can be downloaded and printed). By writing down the mini-goals and marking in the journal that I have achieved them, I am more aware that I am fulfilling myself, that I am making the small steps real (Realization), and I leave a written proof that reminds me of the accomplishment. I realize what I have achieved, and it is no longer something automatic that I end up forgetting.

"Verba volant, scripta manent." (Cayo Tito)

"Words fly, what is written remains."

At the end of each week we are aware of all the new and positive things we have done, we realize the importance of small steps. With written evidence! And if we put away those habit journal sheets and look at them later, we realize our progress in the process. I repeat: if we improve by 1% every day, in one year we will be 37.78 times better.

And how do you celebrate? As you want. Raising your arms, smiling, clenching your fists, tapping yourself in the shoulder, saying “YES!” or “I DID IT” or whatever you want.

Below I suggest 3 tips to make celebrations a wellness tool:

1. Create a "playlist" or a "folder" of VICTORY in your brain.

We have all had victorious moments in our lives. A triumph that we achieved and that we can remember in great detail. Big or small, it doesn't matter. And when we remember it, we feel really good. I suggest to write those triumphs. As you remember each one, close your eyes and live them again. Remember the situation, the place, the sounds, the smells, the people who were present (or not), EVERYTHING! Remember especially how you felt. Live it again. It’s like putting “play” on a player in the brain. It is very powerful. It’s free and we can repeat it whenever we want, especially in times when we don’t feel well.

The emotion is transmitted to the body as if it was real. Its like when one thinks of taking a lemon, cutting it, squeezing the juice into a glass and drinking it. The mouth produces more saliva and one can even feel the sour taste of lemon.

Try it and you will see. I learned this from a teacher, it is a fantastic tool.

2. Celebrate after you hit a new micro-habit (mini-habit)

When creating a new habit, or repeating one you already have, CELEBRATE!

It is a way to anchor that habit in your brain. You will also feel great, and it gives even more sense to what you just did.

For example:

• After getting up in the morning I take a sip of water or drink a glass of water, and I celebrate.

• When I take a break from work, I close my eyes, breathe deeply for a minute, and celebrate.

• When I get up in the morning I do a push-up, and I celebrate.

• Before I go to sleep I read two lines of a book, or a paragraph, and I celebrate it.

• After your exercise routine, celebrate.

3. Raise your arms as a sign of VICTORY

Simply raise your arms to the sky, as if you had scored a goal in the World Cup, for 10 seconds or more. You can close your eyes or imagine a victory. The simple gesture of victory expressed through your body releases feelgood substances and makes you feel amazing. The language of the body is transmitted to your brain and soul. It is wonderful.

As with all positive habits, the more you repeat them, the better. (If we repeat the negatives, we go in the opposite direction).

Repetition is the mother of all skills. (Tony Robbins).

GO FOR IT!

LET 'S CELEBRATE!

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“Look for small victories and build on that. Each small victory, even if it is just getting up five minutes earlier, gives you confidence. You realize that these little victories make you feel great, and you keep going. You realize that being paralyzed by fear of failure is worse than failure.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger