The Power of Small Wins: A Simple Practice to Fuel Your Growth and Gratitude

Introduction:

As high-performing professionals and parents, we often hold ourselves to impossibly high standards. Between deadlines, meetings, school drop-offs, and family dinners, our days are packed with responsibilities. Yet, how often do we pause to acknowledge what went right amid the chaos?

The truth is, we tend to focus on what we didn’t achieve rather than celebrating what we did. But what if the key to sustained energy, motivation, and gratitude isn’t in the big milestones—but in the small victories we often overlook?

By taking just a few minutes at the end of each day to write down three small wins, you can shift your mindset from “not enough” to “I’m making progress.” This simple practice doesn’t just improve your mood—it reinforces your resilience and strengthens your ability to thrive in both your career and personal life.

In this week’s edition, we’ll show you how to make this transformative habit a seamless part of your routine, empowering you to end each day with gratitude and momentum.

Why Focus on Small Wins?

In psychology, this practice is known as the “progress principle.” Celebrating small achievements boosts your sense of accomplishment and motivation. For parents balancing high-stakes work and family commitments, it’s a grounding exercise that helps you focus on what truly matters.

My Personal Practice to Build a “Small Wins” Habit

Step 1: Set a Daily Reminder Establish a consistent time to reflect, such as right before bedtime or during your evening wind-down. Use phone alarms, sticky notes, or calendar reminders to prompt you.

Step 2: Grab a Journal (or Notes App) Dedicate a space to document your wins. Whether it’s a physical notebook, a digital notes app, or even a shared family gratitude journal, keep it accessible and simple to use.

Step 3: Reflect on the Day Ask yourself:

• What did I accomplish today, big or small?
• Where did I make progress, even if it was incremental?
• How did I show up for my work or family in a meaningful way?

Examples of small wins might include:

• Sending a thoughtful email to a colleague.
• Completing 15 minutes of uninterrupted playtime with your child.
• Staying calm during a stressful meeting.

Step 4: Write It Down Capture three wins in clear, simple sentences. For example:

• “I met my deadline for the Q1 report.”
• “I stayed patient during a tough conversation with my teenager.”
• “I resisted the urge to check emails during dinner.”

Step 5: Revisit and Reflect Over time, revisit your entries to remind yourself of your growth. These reflections can provide motivation on challenging days and reinforce your self-confidence. (Reading through my reflections is also my favorite way to move me through feelings of guilt and reminding myself I’m a good mom and a stellar leader.)

Embedding the Habit in Your Family

This practice isn’t only impactful in your professional journey. It’s one that you can incorporate with your partner or children as well. Here are some simple ways you can kick off this practice:

1. Family Gratitude Time: Create a nightly tradition where each family member shares one win or positive moment from their day. 2. Lead by Example: Show your children the importance of celebrating effort and progress, not just outcomes. 3. Encourage Team Wins: At work, highlight small team successes to foster a culture of appreciation and motivation.

Life’s most meaningful achievements are built on a foundation of small, consistent wins. By pausing to recognize these moments, you’re not only giving yourself the credit you deserve but also creating a mindset of gratitude and resilience.

This week, take the first step: Tonight, write down three small wins, no matter how small they seem. You might just discover that the little victories were the big ones all along.