A subject close to my heart, particularly since moving from corporate to self-employed. Small wins matter. Recognizing achievements at the micro level has added some much needed rocket fuel to my motivation levels in so many areas. Read my list inspiring small wins quotes to help you celebrate those little triumphs on life’s journey.
What are Small Wins?
Small wins are those subtle / little / bite size / barely noticeable successes that are so often overlooked as we go about our day-to-day activities.
Some examples might include:
- Waking up early, with enough time to begin a healthy morning routine.
- Spending 10 meditating to reduce stress.
- Cooking a healthy meal rather than ordering takeaway.
- Making a new professional contact.
- Tidying and organizing your workspace.
- Drinking enough water throughout the day.
- Working out when you don’t feel motivated to do so.
In other words, these wins can happen in any part of your life: personal, professional, social, education, wellbeing, health, fitness, mindset, anything!
Why Celebrate Small Wins?
Celebrating the big wins is something many are familiar with. A lot of people can relate to celebrating the completion of big projects or reaching important milestones in a workplace. Perhaps you’ve achieved something big on the home front such as finishing up some renovation work on your house. I remember getting to the end of video games when I was younger, and that felt like a huge win! Hmm, maybe that shouldn’t count. But whatever the context, marking these occasions feels good, especially when it involves other people.
The problem is that these big wins only take place so often. Months or longer can pass before they happen again and usually an incredible amount of effort is required to get to the point of a big win.
In short, the benefit of achieving those little victories relates to the release of something called dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with motivation, reward, and pleasure – the feel-good brain chemical. Achieving and recognizing small wins can trigger the release of dopamine, and encourage us to repeat those behaviors again.
More on small wins and dopamine here:
Direct References
This list includes quotes that include the words ‘small wins’ or similar, such as ‘small victories’ or ‘little victories’.
“If you want to stay fired up, develop a truly focused mindset, feel emotionally alive, feel inspired, develop higher levels of drive, and stay on your best game, then we need to do this… celebrate tiny wins at the end of every single day.” – Robin Sharma
“You can’t win the day if you don’t feel the day. As you get small wins in life you have to integrate those wins into your identity and know that you’re a strong person.” – Brendon Burchard
“The most effective form of motivation is progress. When we get a signal that we are moving forward, we become more motivated to continue down that path. In this way, habit tracking can have an addictive effect on motivation. Each small win feeds your desire.” – James Clear
“The great victory, which appears so simple today, was the result of a series of small victories that went unnoticed.” – Paulo Coelho
“Small wins do not combine in a neat, linear, serial form, with each step being a demonstrable step closer to some predetermined goal. More common is the circumstance where small wins are scattered … like miniature experiments that test implicit theories about resistance and opportunity and uncover both resources and barriers that were invisible before the situation was stirred up.” – Karl Weick
“Start small. Gain some quick victories. And let victory breed victory… You’ll find that those small quick victories will motivate you to gain more victories and tackle larger jobs.” – Joshua Becker
“I’ve found that small wins, small projects, small differences often make huge differences.” – Rosabeth Moss Kanter
“Look for small victories and build on that. Each small victory, even if it is just getting up five minutes earlier, gives you confidence. You realize that these little victories make you feel great, and you keep going. You realize that being paralyzed by fear of failure is worse than failure.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Do you know what happens when you celebrate wins in your work or on your team every single day? You start to notice that there’s something worth celebrating, every single day.” – David Burkus
“Treat every small victory like you just won the Super Bowl.” – Lewis Howes
“Acknowledge all of your small victories. They will eventually add up to something great.” – Kara Goucher
“Small wins are still won, and the journey is more important than overnight success.” – Bill Watterson
“Celebrate even small victories.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“It’s important that we celebrate our wins. We celebrate our lives because it causes us to want the next bite. It keeps us hungrier, not the reverse.” – Ed Mylett
“A series of small wins leads to great results.” – Philip Kim
“Little victories produce big wins.” – Frank Sonnenberg
“I am a series of small victories and large defeats and I am as amazed as any other that I have gotten from there to here.” – Charles Bukowski
“Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are within reach.” – Charles Duhigg
“The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance – and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey
“The thing about small victories is that they’re easier to carry with you. I’m calling myself the champion of popping every single kernel of popcorn in the microwave last night.” – Ted Lasso
I agree with every bit of this. The thing about small victories is that they’re easier to carry with you. I’m calling myself the champion of popping every single kernel of popcorn in the microwave last night. https://t.co/mwcufdqk4z
— Ted Lasso (@TedLasso) August 29, 2021
A clip from Jay Shetty’s Podcast where he interviews the CEO of YouTube, Susan Wojcicki.
Indirect References
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill
“Nothing can be done except little by little.” – Charles Baudelaire
“Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.” – Dale Carnegie
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.” – Admiral William H. McRaven
“That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.” – Colin Powell
“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland
“Little by little, one travels far.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
“If you work on something a little bit every day, you end up with something that is massive.” – Kenneth Goldsmith
“I believe that no matter what situation in life you find yourself, there is room for you to take control of little things, which ultimately adds up to big things.” – Lisa J. Shultz
“Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” – Mia Hamm
“Building confidence means taking small steps that leave a lasting sense of accomplishment.” –Barbara Markway