We tend to reserve celebrating for life events that are “a big deal” because we want those moments to feel “extra special.”

But there is so much more about our journey through life that is special and deserves to be celebrated. 

Why We Should Celebrate Small Wins

For my final research project in undergrad, I studied the motivation of long-time activists. As someone who sets goals that are much larger than myself, I was desperate to know what fueled the motivation of people who fought for social justice causes for decades (without giving up). 

From the long list of factors that contributed to their motivation, one stood out to me: celebrating small wins. 

Throughout all the interviews conducted, I found that many activists believed celebrating small wins regularly was key in staying motivated to continue working towards their goals. 

Multiple activists claimed the celebrations reminded them that their work mattered and helped them acknowledge the progress they had made. Ultimately, taking a moment to recognize that their efforts made a difference gave them the boost they needed to be able to keep fighting. 

Some activists even planned quarterly or yearly meetings with presentations on all the bits of progress they had made. They felt that celebrating small wins with their teams was energizing, refreshing, relieving, and necessary. 

Staring Straight Ahead Prevents You From Seeing How Far You’ve Come

When a person is fighting for something as big as social change, the ultimate goal is inherently massive and can easily become overwhelming. This is why giving oneself credit for small bits of progress is essential. When we celebrate, we give ourselves a chance to see how far we’ve come instead of focusing intently on how far we have yet to go. 

The same goes for any other big goal we set for ourselves. Let’s take college for example. When you finish an essay or any other assignment, it might seem like the end of college is forever away. You might think, “if that was so hard, then how on earth am I going to graduate?”

But if you take time to celebrate (Maybe go grab a burrito bowl with your best friend to commemorate your survival thus far), then you get a chance to enjoy the feeling of being one step closer to your goal instead of constantly dreading what has yet to come.

When we celebrate, what we’re really doing is “savoring” the moment by saying “Yeah, I did that. I made it this far” and letting ourselves feel a sense of achievement before taking on the next challenge.

Note: Savoring is also a concept used in positive psychology to maximize the benefits of positive events and emotions in our lives.

Celebrations Help Us Feel Capable

Most of us don’t see small accomplishments as cause for celebration, but it would really benefit us if we did. When we celebrate small wins, it helps fulfill what intrinsic motivation researchers Edward Deci and Richard Ryan call “the need for competence.” (i.e. the feeling of being capable of achieving one’s goals and being effective in one’s life).

Competence, according to Deci and Ryan, are one of the three human needs that must be fulfilled in order for a person to be intrinsically motivated.

In other words, celebrating small wins helps us feel capable and effective. Therefore, allowing yourself to celebrate small wins will help you feel more confident, feel more motivated, make more progress, and avoid giving up on your long-term goals.

If done right, the celebrations can turn into a positive cycle: you celebrate small wins more often, so you feel more capable and therefore more motivated to keep going. When you feel more motivated, you make more progress, which leads to more wins, which means more celebrations, even more confidence and motivation, and so on.

Celebrations Aren’t Just Parties

When I say “celebrate,” I don’t mean throw a rager with everyone and your cousin’s cousins. I mean take a moment to both mentally and physically ackowledge something good in your life. 

The mental part of celebration is acknowledging that progress has been made and, if you helped make it happen, giving yourself credit for it. 

The physical part of celebration, however, is physically doing something in the name of that progress. It could be as simple as high-fiving someone, putting on a good song, or throwing out some “woo’s” as if your favorite team just won a game.

Culturally, we tend to celebrate with food or spending quality time with a person or people we care about. But as long as your celebration is intentional and involves both the mental and physical components, it counts. 

What Counts as a Small Win? 

Most people haven’t developed the habit of celebrating small wins yet, so here’s a description of what qualifies as a small win. 

A small win can be…

• Anything that is a win for you personally, including any step that helps you get closer to a goal. (If you want to learn a new language and the first step for you is learning the alphabet, taking that first step is a win.)
• Something that might seem insignificant to someone else. (As long as it’s something you would personally define as progress for you, it’s a small win.)
• Overcoming any amount of anxiety or stress in your life. (If reaching out to a friend is challenging for you, reaching out to other people is a win. If you don’t know how to cook and you make your first omelette, that’s a win too.)

There is a Fine Line Between Celebration and Indulgence

Celebrating wins involves pushing through discomfort to accomplish something and taking the time to appreciate your progress. Indulgence, however, is a response to discomfort and a method of avoiding it. 

Let’s Celebrate!

I recommend looking for opportunities to celebrate in your life often (most people don’t do it enough). But if you’re unsure of what to celebrate, here’s a list of potential opportunities for celebration.

Opportunities for Celebration

1. Getting out of bed on time
2. Following through on a habit you’re trying to develop (Perhaps you’re trying to work out more often or journal every day)
3. Cooking a meal that actually tastes how you wanted it to
4. Finishing a project (at school, at work, or in your personal life)
5. Learning a new skill
6. Finishing a book
7. Completing any task that has been assigned to you
8. Making a new friend
9. Cleaning or organizing a space that you use
10. Living through something you’ve been dreading
11. Taking on discomfort in the name of personal growth (i.e. stepping outside of your comfort zone)
12. Reaching a small milestone in your relationship (My boyfriend and I celebrate every month we’ve been together by setting aside quality time and enjoying each other’s company)
13. Something you did positively impacted someone else
14. Getting a raise
15. Successfully growing a plant (or for some people, a beard)
16. Beating a personal record
17. Learning something about yourself
18. Creating something that didn’t exist before (especially any kind of art)
19. Celebrating someone else’s small win
20. Reflecting on any of the above wins from the past

In the end, the fact that you are alive and you are YOU is already reason enough to celebrate.

You’ve had to overcome and endure a lot to get to be where you are today, and you are worth celebrating (even if you’re the only person participating in the celebration). So do yourself a favor and make a big deal out of your small wins 🙂

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Did this post resonate with you? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or send me a message to share your thoughts. For more uplifting content, check out some other posts on my blog, follow me on instagram @morgan_barbret, or sign up for the Self Love Atlas Newsletter!

Much love, 

Morgan Rita Barbret