Celebrate The Little Victories
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
Adhering to a steady diet of chocolate milk and extra-stuffed burritos I finished my first year of college with the infamous freshman 15 (tbh mine was 30).
That summer I wanted to make a change. I had attempted making changes in the past to little accomplishment but this year I did something different. I adjusted my goals.
I shifted from making a vague long term goal to making a specific micro goal. Instead of “I want to have a six-pack” I made my goal “go to the gym everyday”. I didn’t even have to workout, I just had to go to the gym. Once a day. Five days a week. For three months.
I set myself up for success
Setting the bar so low made sure that I would do it. Because it was so easy. I could walk in and walk right back out if I wanted to. But what usually happened is that I’d get there and then since I was already there “I might as well workout”.
Eventually as I got better and better at achieving that goal I made them more difficult. “Go to the gym everyday” became “do this workout everyday” which led to “do this many reps” and so on.
What happened?
I hit my goal in two months. One month ahead of schedule.
By celebrating the little victories I accomplished more in less time than I had ever managed to do in years.
Alright, so what’s the point?
A business is all about goals
I’d say that the only purpose of a business is achieving goals. We all have different reasons for starting a business, but I’m confident the seed of every reason -whether for ourselves, friends, or family- was accomplishment.
A common problem I see (and experience!) is setting the bar too high or not at all. Our goals are either too vague or too far in the future to even visualize.
And that’s why we need to break them down into little victories like I did with my fitness goals. The day I realized I could apply the same goal setting and motivation principles I learned from my gym experience, my productivity started to soar.
Maybe none of this is new, but it’s good to be reminded. It’s good to celebrate the little victories.
Is what you’re doing today helping you hit your 3 month goal? What’s your 30 day goal? Daily goal? Share with us in the comments below!
Matt Higa is the founder and CEO of Pineapple Empire. A creative agency focusing on helping entrepreneurs and startups build, grow, and conquer. Follow us on Instagram for a daily dose of motivation and inspiration @getpineapple.