As the year begins to whine down, I am tasked with the thoughts of where I am now and where I plan to go. My Blog will be 1 year old on Dec 30th and I couldn’t be happier in how far I have come. “I am on a train following the tracks going in one direction and that’s forward. Some might take turns left or right, but either way it goes, I will still be going forward with my life, decisions and my goals.” Do you ever think about the road you’re on? Are you going forward or backwards? I have been reflecting about this past year and how fast it flew by and what goals I accomplished. To me, I believe I did a great job and I always celebrate my small wins and it is what keeps me going and to never give up. Do you celebrate the small wins in your life? 
What is your definition of small wins?
- You finally took the leap to start your blog?
- You finished 3 chapters on your new eBook?
- You have more than 10 comments per post?
- You have more traffic than you did 6 months ago?
- You completed your first guest post?
- You made your first affiliate sale?
What is the definition of Small Wins?
- Celebrate the specific direction your goals move you in
- Celebrate the gains achieved
- Celebrate the completed projects
- Celebrate the solutions solved for the steps needed towards your goals
Are Small Wins Really Effective?
Hell yeah! When you complete something you either procrastinated on, it gets things set in motion. For instance, if you’re working on an eBook, it might be hard getting started if you unsure of where to start. Once you start researching and gathering information, it can help you plan out the details, topics and outline the information you want to include in your book. Just getting started is a small “win” because now you’re in motion and then ideas start to flow to help you along the way. This small win will help you stay on path and keep your mind clear for new ideas with your next step.How Can You Get Closer To Your Goals?
- Prioritization – We are all pulled in different directions with demands from work or home, but it’s an essential skill you need to make the best use of. It helps you reduce stress and focus on moving towards a successful ending.
- Focus – How many of you have a place where you work and the moment you sit down your mind starts to wander and before you know it, you end up working on something else that isn’t towards your goal. I struggle in this department too (family, doggies, my sweetheart flapping his jaws), but your personal work space is a huge factor in the ability to concentrate. Start by making your space comfortable, organize your work space with everything you need and shut out distractions. I use RainyMood.com to keep my mind clear instead of rocking out to my favorite tunes.
- Set Specific Goals – Set goals that are measurable, specific, attainable and relevant. Put your goals in writing and stick to it! Most importantly, write down why it’s valuable and important to you. It’s nothing like writing down goals and not have a reason why you want to do it in the first place.
- Self-Motivation – How many of you put off doing things you know needs to get done? Do you have deadlines? Someone expecting something from you? You know you would rather do something else more enjoyable than the hard work needed to get things done. We all at some point show our procrastination side and you know what? We are all human. It happens, but what I have found that helps me is recognizing my bad habits and why it happens.
What do you think?
- What small wins have you celebrated?
- Do you recognize your small wins?
- What changes have you made to achieve your goals?
jim syyap
Mine–learning SEO and improving my PR over time. Thank you for sharing.
Twitter: jsyyap
Sonia
Learning SEO can be very intimidating for a ton of people and I am glad you found success with it. Glad you like the post Jim!
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JTwisdom
My husband showed me about celebrating small wins. I am always learning and looking at ways to do things different. Prioritizing as well as putting what’s most important first avoids a lot of stress for me. Doing self examinations of myself helps me to realize what I need to work on.
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Sonia
Hi JT! Looking in the mirror is difficult for me too, but once you just do it, life tends to get so much easier. You always look like you have it together and you are so stylish! I am overdue on a visit and coming over now!
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Jennifer
You’re so right, we should all celebrate our small wins! I don’t take the time to reflect on all the things I’ve accomplished because I feel bogged down by all the things I still want and need to do! And as a result? I get easily stressed out, anxious and unmotivated. Who can write effectively under that kind of pressure? Once again, great post, Sonia!
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Sonia
You’re right and I for won’t write anything if I am stressed or upset about something. It can stifle your writing and your mind won’t be in the right place. Celebrating the smallest thing is a huge win for you and only you. It doesn’t even have to be with your blog, but something significant with your life and what it means to you. Thanks Jennifer for your comment girl!
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Adrienne
Are you serious? Your blog is going to be a year old at the end of this month? What an accomplishment Sonia. Great job girl!
You betcha… I celebrate everything. How can you not get excited when you’ve accomplished something you’ve been working so hard on. Like putting up your blog, consistently writing content, driving traffic to your site, watching your comments increase and next thing you know people are writing about you!
It’s every little step we take that brings us to the next level. You are so right Sonia, celebrate the small victories and give yourself a big pat on the back. A job well done.
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Sonia
Thanks Adrienne! You be surprised on how many people don’t and miss the “big picture” in the process. I think celebrating small wins helps you move on and finish what you started and keeps you motivated to strive ahead. We work so hard to blog, write and network and not celebrating anything makes me think: What’s the point? Thank you for your awesome comment!
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katlupe
I am presently celebrating a win right now! Getting my eBooks on the kindle store was something I wanted to do. Now they are there and selling too. Excited about this and we are definitely celebrating! As for my blog, I have had it going for over 6 years now so it has had many ups and downs. I am very pleased with it at the moment and every little win makes me so happy. Be it one more follower, one more comment, one more mention on a forum, etc. Whatever, I am happy!
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Sonia
Congrats Kat! I am so happy for you. I saw it on Amazon and thought I need to do that too and sure enough off and working on my 1st eBook. I love seeing people joyous about things in their life that they accomplished them self. That is truly inspiring! Thanks Kat for the visit and comment!
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Cat Alexandra
Hey Sonia,
Love these tips here on celebrating small wins. I think it’s really essential to have some celebrations for the minor wins that all lead us up to big successes. It’s a process of aggregate steps forward that amounts to the BIG wins, so I agree that keeping our heads in check by providing a pat on the back or some kind of self-acknowledgement along the journey is a great idea.
I think that one of the changes I’ve made that has accounted for my advancement has been keeping tabs on these “small wins” along the way. I keep a checklist and sort of X-off the things I do as I carve my way in deeper and deeper. Little things like a daily blog post or video cut, or an increase in my daily sales/residuals, etc are things that have helped me to not only realize more that I’m only headed up, but they also provide more inspiration and FUEL to keep on pluggin along!
Cat
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Sonia
Thanks Cat, I like that idea of a check list. I have my to do list and OMG is it long, but if it helps me get closer to my goals, so be it! Do yo thang girl! Thank you for comment and visit as always girl. You inspire me.
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Jens P. Berget
Hi Sonia,
I have a long term strategy, but I celebrate every small win, mostly by eating pizza and smiling a lot. To me, most of the small wins comes from connecting with awesome people and receiving positive feedback. I don’t think much about traffic (it’s important, no doubt about it, but I am looking for conversations with people, not just numbers). So I celebrate the small wins every time a person contacts me and replies to my comments
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Sonia
Couldn’t agree more Jens. Conversations and engaging with people is what tells the true story of who you are. I learned that early on from Ryan Critchett when I started blogging seriously and it’s been the best advice I have gotten about networking. Traffic is a given so worrying about it will make you sick to your stomach. Do your due-diligence and everything will fall into place on its own. Thank you Jens for your valuable comment and I love pizza too. A little too much. Pepperoni please!!!
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Nicky
Wow, I LOVE that, we should all take time each week to celebrate our small wins which lead to a big win. As a direct result of this post and the fact that it is leading up to the end of the year, I have decided I will think about all the wins I have had this year and how my business has been transformed as a result!
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Thanks for a great post!
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Sonia
Welcome Nicky! That’s exactly what I mean. Go back and think about the stuff you were able to accomplish or the steps you had to take to get where you are now. I read so much how people get so “numbers” focused and wonder why they don’t worry about content instead? Silly, but recognizing what you have completed only helps you complete more stuff in the future. Thank you Nicky for stopping by and leaving your awesome comment!
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Faissal Alhaithami
To be honest, i still recognize my small wins.
one of them was when i got my first unique 1000 visitors
another win was when i reached 100 subscriber.
here is a win that i even shared it with my facebook fans when i received 250 approved comments.
these wins what make us stay motivated about what we do.
Sonia, this article is one of the best articles that i read this week:D thanks!
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Sonia
Welcome Faissal, thank you so much for your awesome comment. When I was thinking about this, I had a dear friend that was struggling to see her wins no matter how small they were. I pointed out to her how far she had come from where she started and that it was small wins she needed to celebrate rather than be discouraged. She sees it now and she inspired me to look back and write this post. This year has been a labor of love for me and tough times too and I remember when I had no one looking at my blog till now. I don’t think some bloggers realize the real work it takes to build a blog and the true hard work and effort that is needed. What you see came from my heart and your comment only reveals how many people out there do celebrate their wins and how encouraging it is. Thank you for stopping by, reading my post and leaving your comment. Thank you!
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Larry
I have to admit, I have a hard time celebrating even the smallest victories. I fear that I’ll jinx myself as far as future endeavors are concerned (kind of an irrational fear, I know).
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Sonia
Welcome Larry! I use to have a fear of actually succeeding and I thought that was weird. I know how you feel, but even the smallest win can make such a huge impact on your psyche and keep you going. Whatever your doing, your still blogging, creating and writing. That’s a win right there! Thanks for commenting and taking that time to read my post.
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Lisa
Congrats on hitting your 1 year mark in the near future! Sounds like you’ve made some big leaps this year
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Sonia
Thank you Lisa, I am so stoked. Thanks for running the giveaway. I have more stuff for you later on as I get them!
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Justin Mazza
Hi Sonia,
I agree that the small wins are just as important as the big ones. A win is a win and always worth celebrating in my opinion.
take care…
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Sonia
I agree Justin, but I am so surprised on how many people don’t. It’s so easy to get caught up in what we don’t have and lose sight of what we have already gained. Thank you for reading my post Justin and taking the time to comment.
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Barry Wells
Hi Sonia,
Congratulations on the blog reaching it’s first birthday
I can see the work you’ve put in and it’s paying off for you 
Yes I celebrate my wins, every one of them.
I work really hard all week every week and often get to the end of the week and feel that i haven’t done enough.
Then I think back, look at my list of scrubbed tasks and think wow I done all that this week and smile.
Then i start the following week with the left overs from the previous week and add to the list.
I love it when i throw the sheet of paper away having completed the lot.
This year i also had 5 wins from blog competitions: free transcriptions, free training, free Camtasia and Snagit, free email wash subscription (saving that to give away) and a free digital camera.
Next year you’ll be able to see how I celebrate them all
I’ve already started that party but I know it’ll continue throughout the coming years 
Happy birthday for the 30th and If I don’t catch you before have a fantastic Christmas and A Happy New Year
Barry
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Sonia
Congrats to You Barry, that’s awesome. I like your comment where you said, when it’s done I love it when I throw the sheet of paper away. I do that too with my sticky notes that I have everywhere. It feels great to complete something and not have it weighing on your shoulder anymore. Thank you Barry for reading and leaving your awesome comment. That means allot and thanks for sharing how you celebrate your wins.
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Larissa
Hi Sonia,
That’s a little win of my own.
Well, to tell you the truth, blogging wise, I didn’t accomplish much during the last 6 months but there is another goal that I’ve successfully achieved- I’m a mom
Great post,
Gonna use your how to’s tips!
Twitter: urlookinggoodLA
Sonia
Welcome Larissa, that’s a win you can’t buy at all. It’s priceless and a true gift. I am not a mother, but I have friends that say it’s the best win a person could ever be blessed with. Thank you for reading my post and leaving your comment.
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JanBierens
I value my achievements. Also the ones I set myself. From experience I know, that it’s best to set your goals high, but not too high, to prevent disappointment. Goals should be set in a SMART way – Specific, Measurable, Attainable and Relevant. If I would set myself the goal to beat Google in Internet traffic that would be a non-obtainable goal and therefore not SMART.
Your goals should be rewarding. It could be even to the point of buy yourself a little something when you have obtained your set goal. Little things mean a lot.
// Jan
Twitter: janbierens
Sonia
Excellent Comment. I think some people set the bar too high and impossible to attain in the beginning. Being smart and realistic with your goals is the deciding factor to achieving your wins. Small steps for big rewards. Thank you Jans for stopping by my friend.
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Jason Fonceca
I love this, Sonia
You speak of many success-principles here that I teach passionately.
They’re the same for every successful person, and have been explained by many people over the years (Napoleon Hill, Tony Robbins, Buddha, Jay-Z, Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan, etc.)
Celebrating the small wins is an important one for sure, because ‘big wins’ are really just a series of small wins over time.
The japanese have a term for this, focused on micro-wins, called ‘Kaizen.’
Really loving what I’ve read so far. Thank you
Sonia
Thanks Jason, a dear friend inspired that post and it made me look back on this year, where I started and where I am now. But also to share that no matter what things we finally accomplish, it’s a true win, so why not acknowledge it? Thank you for your awesome comment and I appreciate you taking the time to read my posts.
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Jason Fonceca
Inspiration rocks, and so do you and your posts
Sometimes I celebrate when I’ve done something as ‘small’ as taken a conscious, deep, flowing breath.
Go me!
Sonia
LOL! I hear ya and thank you!
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Ashvini
Hey Sonia,
Congrats to you for achieving the first successful year of your blog. I think you have accomplished a lot in one year alone. I can say it because I have been following your blog from a long time and I really feel that quality is getting better and better.
). I think I achieved small victories which are now adding up 
.
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What I like about you is the way you engage your audience by building relationships with them . Best of luck for the future.
As for the small victories, I think small victories are essential for all small business. I started learning about creating a wordpress plugin. I did not know basics of PHP. Now I have created one plugin and in the process of completing other( I will let you know the details soon
Great article once again.
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Sonia
Thank you Ash! It took me a bit to get things going, but once I realized the basics and how to put people first, it all started to come together. I think that is what people miss in the beginning is putting other first and helping others by what you have learned.Especially when it comes to stuff I couldn’t figure out and finally did. I try and make sure to tell others what I discovered because I know they can relate and will find value in what I have learned too. Thanks so much for being a good friend and blog colleague. You have taught me a ton on how to deal with stuff at work and it’s been priceless. Congrats to you on your new plugin Comment Juice and I can’t wait to see what else you come up with.
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Anna
I think that no matter the size of “the win” it must be celebrated! After all it is the result of lots of efforts:):)
Sonia
Thanks for your comment Anna!
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Jesse McGreevy
Nicely written article. I think that every time we achieve something, it is important to challenge ourselves further and not be satisfied with the things that we have attained. Because if we put on an attitude like that, we continue to improve ourselves and be better at what we do.
Complacency is an enemy of success.
Sonia
Welcome Jesse! I agree when you said complacency is an enemy and you’re right about that. Celebrating all small achievements help create much more larger ones. Thanks for commenting Jesse and taking the time to read my post.
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Ruth Sayson
Hello Sonia, thank you for sharing this wonderful thoughts and I really admire the winning formula you have. setting up specific goals can really help you motivated and stay focused to be able to achieve your desired success. I just started a new blog and I’m going to to adapt all the lesson I learned here.
Sonia
Thanks Ruth, it’s something we all need to remember. Step by step and not rushing into anything and not forgetting to celebrate how we got there.
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Jon
Each step takes you closer to your goal and sometimes those small successes that appear insignificant at the time may be more important for your long term growth than a major coup. As they say instant success can be harmful especially if you don’t know how you achieved it and cannot replicate it. Slowly but surely wins the day.
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Sonia
Welcome Jon, I love what you said about instant success. The problem with that is if the person or blog can’t repeat that success, they might give up no sooner then that started. I like taking baby steps towards my goals because not everything can be achieved overnight without a catch attached to it. I would rather do it the right way rather than do something quickly and fall flat on my face. Thanks for commenting Jon!
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Jason Fonceca
I agree with Jon, and you Sonia, and I summarize it like this:
Success is a journey, so it can never be ‘instant’
Sonia
Instant scares the sh– out of me. No one prepares for that and when it happens is when you need to step back and take stock. Then reality sets in and if you don’t know how to manage that it could ruin you mentally. How are you Jason!
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Jason Fonceca
You know, I’ve been thinking about this, and I’m glad you raised it, because I was torn for awhile.
I love instant, I love fast, I love speed, I love getting what I want, when I want it.
At the same time, like you said, I also like feeling ready and prepared for it. Your comment helped me clarify what I really want, which is:
I want to dominantly continually approach ‘instant’ for myself, and at the same time, dominantly feel ready and comfortable and harmonized with that speed.
It’s key for me that those two things go hand in hand, and that I understand it is a journey that keeps on going.
As for how I am…
…I’m fantastic Sonia, I launched my new brand http://ryzeonline.com on New Year’s Eve, and people are loving it, always ryzing up
Happy New Year!
Sonia
Hi Jason, thanks for your kind thoughts and I will surely check it out!
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