Celebrate The Small Wins

I have just completed a very simple task: renewing the yearly sticker on my Texas vehicle. I tackled this chore, and once it was done, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. For something that is practically insignificant, right? There's nothing special about doing this yearly task. But it's necessary. It has to be done. So I might as well savor the little satisfaction that came after doing it.

In our daily lives, we spend the majority of our time on tasks that may seem mundane and insignificant, like watering plants, brushing our teeth, cleaning, organizing, running errands, buying groceries, and taking care of the paperwork required to be a citizen anywhere in the world. These routine activities are far from remarkable or noteworthy, but they make up most of our time.

Often, we tend to reserve celebrations for major milestones, lofty goals, or important projects. But these significant achievements don't happen every day. We look forward to those big moments and forget to savor the tiny satisfactions throughout our day.

Action, as Paulo Coelho wisely wrote, is the foundation of success. Being active is always preferable to being passive. And we'll feel more motivated to be active if we make an effort to relish the satisfaction that comes with accomplishing tasks, both big and small.

When I accomplish something that's slightly more challenging, time-consuming, and harder to do, I give myself a round of applause. I don't always do it, but when I do, it feels great. My girlfriend thinks it's funny and sometimes weird. After clapping, I just repeat in my mind, "Well done, Manuel." It works. Try it.

Recognize your achievements without relying on external approval. Don't wait to celebrate only those big things. Acknowledge and celebrate the little things that fill your daily life. Find joy in your routine and repetitive tasks. Clap for yourself for doing things. For taking action. For crossing tasks off your checklist.

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