How to Find Success (Every Single Day)

Hi there,

When was the last time you experienced success?

Really stopped and let the empowerment of achievement wash over you?

Me? Oh, it was just earlier today. Why? Because I decluttered my pen holder.

And let me tell you I revelled in that victory.

A little self-congratulatory moment like this one is grounded in psychology. It's a coping strategy in a world determined to convince us that we are not enough.?

And it's a tried and tested way to boost self-efficacy. A skill centred on the belief we have what it takes to overcome challenges and navigate change. Pretty important in the chaos of modern life, right?

It‘s easy to think that success can only be experienced at the finish-line of a big project. Or that achievement is only noteworthy at some sort of pinnacle. But self-efficacy doesn't work that way. We have to build it every day.

Psychologist, Albert Bandura, found that experiencing small successes in everyday life impacts confidence and motivation. It’s like the brain needs to collect daily nuggets of evidence - reminders of our capabilities - that unlock our power to keep going.

And the good news is: we CAN find success every day. It's all about how we think about it and where we focus to find it.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1) Know what success is to you.

We are constantly bombarded by other peoples’ successes. Or what society deems success should look like.?It can be easy to lose touch with what it looks like to you.?

?? Pro-tip: When you wake up, instead of thinking “ugh, what is today going to demand of me?”... think “today will look like a success if…” and complete that thought with one thing you know will make you feel proud at the end of that day.

2) Take action to find those daily successes.

Once you have clarity on what success looks like each day, set yourself up to take small but deliberate actions to make sure you get to feel it.

?? Pro-tip: Look, you are only human and you only have one day. So don’t bite off more than you can chew. If success to you is about quality time with your kids, make sure you plan to give them even ten minutes of your undivided attention. If success to you is feeling a little more zen, try clearing all those old files from your desktop. Or maybe success is feeling like you’ve made an impact at work - so focus on smashing your 30-second update in your team meeting.?

3) Savour success.

Take time out to appreciate what each success (big and small) means. Let the confidence - that comes with the knowledge that you made it happen - sink in.?

?? Pro-tip: Saying it out loud or writing it down can help make it feel tangible...So, try reporting your small wins to a trusted set of colleagues. Like a piece of customer feedback, shared on a slack channel. And remember: this can also be a bit of fun... which is why I loved Amanda Nielsen 's recent post .

Have a think now about how you can boost the experience of success in your daily life - and start noticing what really makes a difference to how you feel about taking on the day ahead.??

Remember, it’s the little successes every day that propel us forward to achieve big things.

What success are you celebrating today?

Bye for now,

Erin

This newsletter is part of a series to help you find ways to change your experience of?work?for the?better. Subscribe and you'll find it in your inbox every month.

And if you'd like to check out more ideas about how to make work better, take a look at my courses on LinkedIn Learning .