Success is a matter of perception.  To some, success means they have accomplished what they set out to do, or a goal that has been attained.   Many have the perception that if nothing was accomplished or no goal was attained, their efforts were an epic fail.  My perception is that for every attained goal, there were many small successes along the way.  Many times, simply making the right choices is a success.  I’m sure you made several of those today—perhaps you chose water over soda.  Maybe you took the stairs instead of the elevator, or you chose fruit over ice cream, or a book over watching television.  Or, maybe you cleaned your desk, updated your website, or cleaned out your inbox.  Those may sound like simple things, but they were small victories that should be celebrated.

The problem with success is we don’t give ourselves enough credit, therefore we do not deem those small acts as a success. So, at the end of the day, we feel like we failed because we didn’t accomplish anything monumental.  Nor do we feel these were things that got us any closer to our goal.  What we don’t realize is that the small things matter; they add up. What if your overall goal was to eat healthier and lose weight, and you chose water over soda say three days a week?  I’d say those choices put you right on track to make that happen, and therefore were a success.  Yes, water was a success.  When we learn to celebrate the small things, they become big things.  So, embrace your small victories, give yourself a pat on the back and be proud of yourself.  And if you honestly can’t look back and find a success in your day, don’t give up!  Tomorrow’s another day to make the right choices.  Start by choosing water, you can’t go wrong.