Victories

It can get easy to get so wrapped up in reaching for the next goal that we forget to stop and appreciate our victories. The truth is that taking a moment to celebrate our victories, however small, increases our likelihood to keep going on toward our goals and reach other, larger victories.

Video game designers have known this for over 30 years. If you've played one of the popular games recently you know that the first ten levels are riddled with "achievements." These achievements are handed out like candy for everything from arming your weapon, to finding the nearest town, to randomly deciding to attack a tree. The psychology behind this is the understanding that recognition releases endorphins into the brain that will make the player feel good about playing this game. As a typical player advances through the first few levels of the game, earning achievements left and right, the brain gets flooded with these feel good hormones. The brain likes these hormones and will encourage the player to continue going back to this game in order to receive more of them. And just like that, you're addicted.

It is important to celebrate your victories when you're working on a big goal. Regaining your physical health, taking control of your finances, these things are big goals! Celebrating the little victories along the way and especially in the beginning is crucial to your determination to see the project through. Knowing this, and knowing that your life isn't a video game with achievements built in, it's important to set yourself up to experience these small victories.

In his commencement speech to the University of Texas graduating class of 2014, Naval Admiral William H. McRaven spoke of ten lessons he learned from his SEAL training that will help you change the world. The first one was to always make your bed.

McRaven explained that in SEAL training the first task of the day is always to make your bed. Everything about that task had to be done perfectly. The corners of the blanket had to be square, the pillow had to be centered on the frame exactly, and so on. I'm sure that as a SEAL in training, it was a little bit confusing at first to be forced to make the bed so meticulously. After all, what does a made bed have to do with defending your country? The Admiral said that despite the way this seemed a bit ridiculous, the wisdom of this training has been proven to him over the years because:

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.

He ends this portion of his speech by saying "If you want to change the world, always make your bed."

Today, set yourself up for some small victories. Make a checklist of the things you need to accomplish, set a goal you know you can reach, make your bed, and while you're at it go ahead and clean your room. Then, when the day is over and your checklist is checked, and you climb into your neatly made bed in your neatly cleaned room, take some time to appreciate your victories. And as you are on this journey to create a better you, be sure to document and celebrate your personal victories along the way.