Today, I want you to look at your actions and identify all the ones that help move you closer to your goals.
Label these as small wins.
These include any of your efforts that make you feel more successful, happy, healthy, or peaceful.
Maybe you took a few minutes to play with your child, call a close friend, or commend a fellow employee. Perhaps you drank lots of water, smiled at a stranger, or gave yourself a fresh manicure.
In your efforts to follow a healthy lifestyle, even the smallest steps count. Eating your vegetables or fruit, climbing stairs instead of taking the elevator, all of these are small wins.
Watch for times when you have small wins, then write them down or mentally note what happened. Before you go to sleep, review your list and celebrate your positive choices and actions.
As you affirm your small wins, the slip-ups in your day will seem a lot less important. And by focusing on all of your accomplishments, you’ll always end the day feeling like a success instead of a failure.
Today’s assignment (My answers are in blue)
1. Write down at least five things you did today that were small wins.
My notes from yesterday… Ate my planned healthy meals, drank lots of water, ate healthy at lunch with my friend, no dessert, made dinner at home, played ball with the dog instead of watching TV, drank sparking water instead of wine.
2. Before you go to bed, read your list out loud and tell yourself you are a great success! Describe how this felt.
I love this exercise. It always feels wonderful to read my list, and I’m pleased with my choices and how I managed things.
3. Record your small wins for at least a week. Read your list each night and add a few notes about how it affects your attitude.
From time to time, I go back to using this tool. It always gives me a motivation boost, partly because it helps me ignore any small slip-ups.
Excerpted from day 75 in 100 Days of Weight Loss