5. Celebrate Every Win
Have you ever noticed how much fun it is to win? Everybody loves to win so it is important to recognize and celebrate any positive strides we make towards our ultimate goals. If we have a desire to lose 25 pounds, then we need to celebrate every occasion when we drop one, two, three or five pounds. Likewise, if we gain some back, we need to remember how wonderful it felt when we lost the weight so that we can get back on track.
I believe our level of satisfaction and the delight of accomplishment when we reach our goals will be enhanced by the celebrations we experience along the way. Most of our accreditation in this life is applied on the Macro scale. But, the achievements we make along the way are determined by what we do on the Micro level. If the daily disciplines we have established to help us meet our goals are things we dread each day then we are probably going to get off-track. Living each day should not be imprisonment from fun. Taking pride in the small steps that are helping us reach our goals is imperative to our success – both daily, weekly, monthly and yearly.
This past year, for some unknown reason, I decided that I wanted to run a 5k race in downtown Greenville. So, on my own, I started training. I began by running on the treadmill in the gym. At first it was hard to run very far past one mile. Then, I reached two miles and got to where I could do that fairly easily. So, I ventured up to the 3 mile mark. When I finally ran three miles on the treadmill (without stopping) I felt really good about myself. It seemed that I was on my way. Then I started running outside on the pavement and my knees could not take it. My point is this: Even though I did not run in a 5k, I still feel good about running over 3 miles on a treadmill!
In conclusion I want to encourage you to take some time and think about some realistic goals you would like to set for yourself in this New Year. Then, consider what it will take to get there. Get started and chart your progress. Whatever happens, DON’T GIVE UP! Know that I am pulling for you to win!
