Last week, we hosted our 11th Annual Local DECA Competition at the Technical College I where I teach. There are many good things that happened that day, but the best was that every student experienced many “small wins”. 
Some students are terrified of public speaking, but they still did it. Others have test anxiety, but they completed the test. Some fear the unknown, but they tried it anyway. Each student that tried, won – regardless of the outcome.
Any of us in education have seen the power of small wins in our students. We have seen their personal growth and have seen them blossom with self-confidence. The small wins they have in school translate into big results when they enter the work world.
Though we see the importance of helping others find small wins, do we take time to create “small wins” for ourselves?
Small wins have so much power. They are different for everyone but, they are literally small
things like:
· Getting up when the alarm goes off so your morning isn’t rushed
· Taking a walk with your spouse
· Eating a healthy breakfast
· Finding 5 minutes of quiet time for ourselves
· Reading a good book for 15 minutes
Small wins are those little daily activities that are no big deal at the time, but done consistently add up to a BIG deal. They become our habits. And our positive habits are those activities that move us closer to our goals or closer to who we want to be.
And, the coolest part — Those small wins create a feeling of accomplishment and confidence that spills over into other parts of our day and our lives. In other words, it multiples!
It’s time to create small wins for ourselves.
What small wins did you accomplish today?
Source: The Power of Habits by Charles Duhigg