“Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.”
-Napoleon Hill
Have you ever accomplished a life goal that took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to reach? Not literally but figuratively. You continued to show up and the results finally came. Did you take a moment to pause and give yourself a pat on the back? One thing I have learned is the importance of celebrating the small wins. Taking time to celebrate encourages you to keep moving forward. Be sure to, “Celebrate your small wins. Only you know how much it means to come that far.” There is so much joy that comes from reaching a goal. Celebrate and reflect on it. Let it be a reminder of what’s possible if you keep working and stay the course.
I remember when I celebrated reaching my fitness goal around this time last year. I made a goal in January 2021, to lose twenty six pounds so that I could be in a healthy weight range for my height. It was a long process but I did’t give up. There were definitely times where I wanted to give up because the process felt impossible. I had to remind myself that it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Great things take time. Looking back, this statement is so true because often the temptation is to want to see instant results but life doesn’t work that way. I have learned that if I continued to work at the goal everyday I would eventually reach it and I did.
The things I did everyday paved the way for me to be able to reach my goal. Working out five days a week, eating a healthy diet, drinking enough water and getting the rest when needed. I learned to build a routine around the goal I wanted to accomplish. There were times in my journey where I reached a plaute and it was discouraging. I have learned that when you face a road block it important to stop and make adjustments and changes to help you overcome those challenges. This hasn’t been an easy journey but it has been so worth it. My upper body strength goal this year has been really challenging me. I have so much hope and have made so much progress because I can look back and remember the process of what my journey was like last year. It inspires me to keep working so that I can accomplish my goals again this year.
I took time to stop and celebrate a recent milestone that I made with lifting my heaviest this year. My goal is to be able to deadlift two hundred and twenty pounds before the end of this year. I lifted one hundred eighty five pounds which is my heaviest for this year. It feel good to be able to stop and look at how far I have come. When I first started this journey lifting the bar was a challenge for me, so I have really come far.
The motivation and “why,” behind my goal this year is my oldest daughter. My oldest daughter was diagnosed with INAD in September of 2020 and has completely lost her ability to walk without assistance from a gait trainer. So lifting her everyday has not been an easy task for me. I know that she will only get bigger so I have to get stronger. My hope is that me working towards my goal would encourage her to keep pushing and getting stronger. My biggest prayer is that one day she would be completely healed. My next goal is to be able to do five pull ups unassisted and deadlift 220 Ibs before the end of the year.
I am so determined to keep pushing forward towards greater heights. It’s the small goals that set you up to one day be able to accomplish your dreams. When you have a dream you need little goals along the way to keep you moving forward toward your dreams even if your goals are different from the big picture dream. It’s really about who you become in the process and the character that’s developed in the process. If I have a dream of building an orphanage, and I am working towards a fitness goal it doesn’t really connect or make sense in the short term but if you think about how the goal is building discipline, persistence, courage, health and so much more you’ll understand that it’s helping you develop what’s needed to get you to become the person who can accomplish your dream.
These are some things I have learned about the importance of celebrating your victories and pushing forward to greater heights:
1.) It give you hope for the future
Taking time to reflect and celebrate your victories is a way too keep yourself encouraged and give you hope for what’s to come.
2.) It builds momentum
When you experience the joy and satisfaction of reaching a goal it makes you so excited about life. This helps build momentum because you feel more optimism and empowered to do what’s in your heart.
3.) It helps you to see what possible if you keep working
Celebrating and reflecting on your victories helps you to understand what’s possible if you keep showing up and putting in the work. It changes your perspective on making the impossible, possible.
I just want to take the time to encourage you to keep pushing forward and working towards your goals. Don’t give up on yourself. Take time to pause and celebrate your small wins because small wins add up. Keep showing up and putting in the work. One day you’ll be at the place you’ve always wanted to be. Thank you for reading.
What’s a small win you have recently celebrated? How do you celebrate your small wins? Comment below. I would love to chat.
Intentional Hope 