The victories in life aren’t all monumental ones. Sometimes they are in the continual momentum of the small goals getting met. Like a snowball rolling down a hill of fresh powder…gaining speed and mass. Feeding and growing itself in a cycle of forward motion.

The beginning of a new year always leaves me looking back on the year past. I would look back on all the ways I fell short the year before. Because I always do. There is yet to be a year that I smash all the goals I hope to. Often, I don’t even come close.

But at the beginning of this year I feel differently.

I have recognized a powerful truth; my momentum has been stalled by my own limiting mindset. I have been paying closer attention to my inner critic and habits. This attention has shown me how these thought patterns have interfered with my forward progress. In the past, when I’ve inevitably fallen short, I tend to look only at that failure and my shortcomings. But now, I recognize the trap in that mindset. There is so much more to look at in this picture.

And that not all victories are large.

I can look back on the last year and see the many mini-milestones that made the path to where I’m at now. Each one paving a better path forward. Each stone was a step in my growth. Each tiny victory, even if it looked more like failure from the outside, gave me something important I was needing inside.

Maybe it gave me clearer understanding of what direction I wanted to go…or didn’t want to go. Maybe it lead me to a deeper understanding that I was needing at the time. Maybe it was the lesson in completing small routines; drinking my water quota for the day. Spending quality time with the kids that day. Calling my parents to tell them I love them, instead of reclusing into busy-ness. All of these little wins I hadn’t been counting before.

This year I know to count them.

I want to become increasingly aware of these little victories. These little moments we may take for granted. I have found that within these precious moments is the strength to continue on to the bigger battles, to win the more challenging wars.

The free Lovely Month Checklist pdf is one way to reflect on our wins.

The Lovely Month Checklist has 7 achievable goals for each week, or a blank version for those that want to fill in their own. If you enjoy this checklist make sure to check out other items in our Values Program, designed to help you live a more purpose-full life. Logging those little victories gives us something tangible to reflect back on. And even if you don’t hit every check for each week, that’s okay! The point of this experience is to do your best, give yourself grace when you fall short, and appreciate the victories where they are. By the end of the month you will have a list of victories that will help fuel more goal-getting in the next month. Keep up your momentum, and honor the process.

Journey on my friends. Hope our paths cross again soon.