Minimalism For Success: Why Little Wins Count!
Caution: This post contains purposed run-on sentences and fragments. Grammatical freaks read at your own peril.
Having a minimalist approach to success means understanding how to quantify your wins. Success is often measured on a large scale, but you don’t have to win the Nobel Prize to feel like a winner.
Some people seem to make life effortless whether that means: exercising; landing their dream job; parenting kids; abstaining from addiction; living a balanced life; having the energy to stick to your scheduled “sex day” after you’ve been with each other for years upon years; not being bored with eating at home every night; sticking to a budget; saving for retirement; not saying a sentence without the word “shit” or “fuck” in it; writing down New Year’s resolutions and actually sticking to them; picking a “safe” career and being okay with it; likewise, picking a creative career with lots of competitive challenges and uncertainty and being okay with it; flipping a negative and seeing the positive; laughing with people who make fun of you; not taking yourself so seriously; knowing how to take jokes; knowing how to write jokes and actually make people laugh; not taking things personally; working with catty employees and actually getting along with them; not caring if people don’t include you; being okay with being alone; not saying “fuck you” to the person that cuts you off on the road; not reacting when someone else is having a shitty day; listening more and talking less; not bragging about yourself, and; staying humble (one of the hardest on the list.)
The list can go on and on folks.
Some people, in comparison to you and me, seem as though their life is abundant with wins. Conquests after conquests. Win after win. Challenges? What challenges? Everything seems to be a breeze. It may or may not be easier for them to succeed; it may just be that they don’t always report their losses. Or maybe, just maybe they’ve learned to add up their small wins. Minimalism, means reducing your measurement tool to what you define as a win.
No, you might not have won the Nobel Prize. No, you might not have won free tickets to Coachella. No, you might not have been born with a super fast metabolism, so you’re NOT perpetually skinny. No, you might not have been born with genetically pre-disposed good looks. No, you might not have been born with a damn trust fund or parents who helped pay for college. No, you might not be privileged. No, you might not feel like a winner.
Maybe, just maybe your measuring stick in which you define as “success” is up there with Michael Jordan.
The fact is, success is subjective. It’s a matter of perspective. If you have depression, waking up and taking a shower in the morning (or afternoon) is a WIN. If you suffer from social anxiety, going to a barbecue to mingle with strangers is a WIN. If you are unhappy with your work, researching and applying for another job is a WIN. If you’re lonely, having a random deep conversation with a stranger, is a WIN. If you used to smoke a pack of cigarettes and now, you’re down to 4 cigarettes a day, damn it, that’s a WIN. If you’re overweight and you walk for 20 minutes, 3 times a week when ordinarily you used to just sit around on your butt, shit, that’s a WIN. If you’ve had a bad day, month, quarter, year and you still find the strength in you to be grateful for what you do have, my friend, that is a big WIN.
Okay. You follow me?
The Bottom Line:
Stop complicating your life with unreasonable expectations. Stop ignoring your little wins. Yeah, they’re little. Hell, I’ll admit, they might even be itty-bitty wins. Like, you washed your car after not washing it for months. Hey, that’s a WIN. Okay. I mean it. That’s a win. It might not be a big enough win for you. But, it’s a win nonetheless.
Minimize and simplify your perspective with regards to success by adjusting your instrument. Measure and acknowledge your small wins. Because, they are WINS. No, you’re not Michael Jordan, but he’s also not you. Happiness isn’t about the award, it’s about the journey that has transformed you into who you are today. And guess what? Add up all your little wins and at the end of the day; end of the month; end of the quarter; end of the year; all your microscopic wins add up to SUCCESS!
For more on minimalism, please check out the participating bloggers:
Mylene C. Orillo: How Grief Taught Me to Keep My Life Simple
Ipuna Black: Minimalism: What gives you meaning in life?
Barb Caffrey: Why Minimalism is the First Step Toward Non-materialism — a Collaboration with a Purpose Post
Sadaf Siddiqi: Value of Minimalism
Sonyo Estavillo: Minimalism For Success: Why Little Wins Count!
Jane Love: Mind Minimalism – Life Doesn’t Get Better With Worry
Gelyka Ruth Dumaraos: Being More with Less: Embracing a Simple Life by Being Zero-Waste
Swati Kadam:
Divyang Shah:
Writing With Hope 
May 5, 2018 at 9:53 AM
[…] Sonyo Estavillo: Minimalism For Success: Why Little Wins Count! […]
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May 5, 2018 at 1:02 PM
[…] C.Orillo: Keep My Life Simple Nicolle K.: Sadaf Siddiqi: Value of Minimalism Sonyo Estavillo: Minimalism For Success: Why Little Wins Count! […]
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May 5, 2018 at 1:07 PM
We often forget our small wins in life. When we are grateful for the little things, it seems we become ready for more. If we are always waiting for the “big” win in life, we would probably walk around filled with disappointment.
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May 6, 2018 at 12:19 AM
Not brushing away our small wins is practice in discipline, one that requires us to retrain our minds and rethink what “success” really means. At the end of the day, all the little things really matter. All of our little steps…are just that…steps towards success.
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May 5, 2018 at 2:04 PM
Great post. I like this sort of minimalism!!!
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May 6, 2018 at 12:22 AM
My husband had inspired this post. He always encourages me each day and reminds me of my “small wins” and that a win is a win, no matter how small. This post is more of a reminder for me to acknowledge the “baby steps” towards any goal.
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May 6, 2018 at 3:49 AM
Your husband is inspiring!
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May 9, 2018 at 12:28 AM
Shit (oops… Potty mouth). You are married??? Grrrr…. That lucky b#!**! 🙂 such an awesome writeup. Now all that is missing is a Youtube video with your pretty face (makeup is allowed, esp. red lipstick…devilish smile) and all that force of this awesomely positive spirit which made you write this. Teleprompter is okay too 🙂
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May 5, 2018 at 3:22 PM
[…] Sonyo Estavillo – “Minimalism for Success: Why Little Wins Count” […]
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May 5, 2018 at 8:10 PM
Sonyo, I agree. Small wins are important. And especially when you are depressed, as I was after my husband died (for a few years, even), getting up and taking a shower, then getting dressed, then going outside and trying to walk around the park were all wins. Even if no one understood that but me at the time.
I agree that this type of minimalism is exceptionally important. And I’m glad you wrote this post. 🙂
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May 6, 2018 at 12:25 AM
I’m glad Barb, that you were able to praise yourself for your efforts and progress you made through your trials. I find that it’s easier to beat ourselves up than to give ourselves credit for the “little things” we do right, no matter how small of a step.
A step…is a step….is a step…
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May 6, 2018 at 2:47 AM
Thanks, Sonyo.
One step at a time, and small wins add up to bigger wins…all we can do, right? 😉
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May 5, 2018 at 8:50 PM
First of all, I’m happy that you wrote for this month’s collab. Second, I love your take on Minimalism by focusing on our little wins. Yes, you are right, we should stop complicating our lives with unreasonable expectations. We should also stop ignoring your little wins. Yeah, they’re little — but they are still WINS. Hope you are doing great. 🙂
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May 6, 2018 at 12:30 AM
Thanks Mylene…
As you know personally, I almost didn’t. But, I’m glad that I did. I feel like this post was a personal reminder to myself how “little wins” are wins nonetheless. I fall into the “too hard on myself” category. But, I think it’s important to also praise ourselves. It’s too easy to beat ourselves up. It takes much more discipline to rise up from the ground and say “I’ve won despite my losses and trials.”
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May 6, 2018 at 1:28 AM
As Mylene and others have said, “first of all, happy that you wrote for this month’s collab.” Nice post, Sonyo. Agree with you on this one-
“Happiness isn’t about the award, it’s about the journey that has transformed you into who you are today.” Every little life achievement adds upto success.
I too feel that winning the Nobel Prize or awards aren’t the only things that can give the feel of a winner. Everyone is a winner in their own way.
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May 6, 2018 at 11:24 AM
A great post. Very inspiring, and just what I needed to hear. 🙂
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May 6, 2018 at 12:22 PM
I’m glad it helped you even if it was a little. It’s especially difficult for some of us that are trying to heal our way out of depression or at the very least, manage it. I hope you’re counting your little wins today.
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May 6, 2018 at 12:30 PM
I’ll try to do that every day. Especially on those days where I feel like a failure. Xx
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May 8, 2018 at 11:25 PM
I’ve been following you for a while. I love this post. I think you’re right on…some people seem to always “win” but how much of a “win is it? Think about it! ❤
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May 8, 2018 at 11:30 PM
❤ ❤ ❤ this post! OMG….I totally get it! It's always about the little things we do in our lives. It's about the small wins we don't acknowledge. I ❤ you for this message!
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May 8, 2018 at 11:52 PM
I’m a follower. I’m a reader. I’m a fan. I don’t have a lot of words except that you amaze me. Thank you.
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May 8, 2018 at 11:59 PM
Don’t settle for excuses, be inspired by truth, the kind that resonates in your heart and in all that you do.
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May 9, 2018 at 12:45 AM
I love this post:
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May 9, 2018 at 12:47 AM
Thank you & I ❤️ you for reading + responding!
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May 14, 2018 at 1:29 AM
[…] Sonyo Estavillo @ ‘Lil Pick Me Up: Minimalism For Success: Why Little Wins Count! […]
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May 16, 2018 at 7:21 AM
I have a weekly task list on which I put some Big Tasks and some Little Tasks (if I stuff it with Big Tasks only I know I’ll never get to it). Every week after I’ve successfully accomplished my tasks, also the little ones, I treat myself to something sweet 🙂
Sometimes something that’s seemingly small can have a big impact. Loved this post! 🙂
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May 28, 2018 at 6:41 PM
Loving this post. Sometimes you need a small accomplishment to refresh you!
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May 29, 2018 at 7:56 PM
Awesome post! I agree small wins are important and they all add up to be bigger wins! And that happiness is about the journey. Thanks for showing me a different perspective of minimalism. 😀
Also, sorry for being super late with reading this! Let’s just say I got caught up with stuff. Very sorry. 😅
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August 7, 2018 at 11:01 AM
Well written and approach is surely True! 👍
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January 23, 2019 at 9:42 PM
Now, why is this post just so terrific? I have read the same message 1000 times in a hundred forms. But your examples are so concrete, so real, so basic. Love it.
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January 23, 2019 at 10:51 PM
I’m glad the post resonated with you! 🙂
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