Toronto, February 29 2012
It’s Leap Year Day. Ever wondered why we need it? Leap Years keep the calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth 365.242 days to circle once around the Sun. If we didn’t add a day on February 29 every 4 years, we would lose six hours every year. After 100 years, the calendar would be off by 24 days.
So what’s the moral of the story? We’re all part of the global revolution. We have a personal rhythm that must synchronize with our environment. We’re either becoming our best, or we’re drifting. It only takes a tiny lag every day to be off by a lot in our lifetime.
On this Leap Year Day, think about what you’re becoming. Are you aligned with success? Are you on purpose? Are you sensitive to the promises around you? Are you an invitation to possibility? Are you an inspiration to others? Are you mindful of your impact?
Those who are unaware are unaware that they are unaware. If we’re not mindful, we’re ordinary. We withdraw. We defend. We play not to lose when it only takes a small shift to win. Our instincts don’t always serve us well because they’re driven by our fears. And our fears are driven by our past.
Today is the day you begin your transformation by harnessing the power of “small wins”. According to an article in the Globe And Mail (02/25/2012) by Charles Duhigg, tthere is a huge body of research that shows small wins have enormous power, an influence disproportionate to the accomplishments of the victories themselves. Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favour another small win. Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people bigger achievements are within reacht.
So what small wins can you pursue today? What tiny advantages can you weave into your pattern of achievement? Here are a list of my Top Ten Small Wins that are sustaining my rhythm of success:
- Creating this message.
- Having a great conversation that inspires others and enhances me.
- Making a donation of time and money.
- Replacing frustration with fascination by changing my perspective.
- Taking on something I’ve never done before – but still related to the art of motivation and inspiration. It may be a new partnership, medium, program or industry.
- Being healthy by working out today– no physical pain, no disease, no mental dissonance, total wellbeing.
- Delivering a great seminar where I know I brought my A-Game.
- Receiving kudos for my contribution.
- Reading, watching or listening to extraordinary talents – both fiction and non-fiction.
- Living fabulously – great friends, great food, great clothes, great city, great country, great travel, great culture.
Winning doesn’t mean coming first. No one comes first all the time. It means being better than you’ve ever been before. It means that going for it is more important to you than losing it. It means that you’re in the game and you’re playing your heart out.
There is winning and then there is misery. It’s not about the hardware, it’s about the spirit. Winning seldom comes easy. Most the time, it’s hard. But when it’s hard, it’s really satisfying. The greater the resistance, the greater the benefit. Did you know, according to the New York Times (04/13/09), a young and healthy astronaut who spends six months in the International Space Station is likely to arrive back on earth with the muscles of an 80 year old. Why? Lack of resistance.
On the other hand, winning never gets old. It means being in a state of constant, conscious preparation. Every win is a deposit on the next win. There is no such thing as losing unless we derive the wrong meaning from our experience. Becoming bitter, cynical, resigned, or defeated means we’re succumbing to our personal history, negative self-talk, inner excuses or private alibis.
DH Lawrence wrote: “I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.” So when you feel bitterness, cynicism, resignation or defeated, override your inner-victim and summon your winning spirit. Inside every adversity is an equal or greater benefit.
So here are Lipkin’s Four Steps To Owning The Power of Small Wins:
- Search for the wins. Be deliberate. Sometimes we need to move and sometimes we need to be still. Sometimes, we need to act, and sometimes we just need to think. However, all the time, we need to look for what we want to find.
- Stretch your mind and your muscles. On the way to awesome, you have to pass through awkward. Discomfort is a good sign. Falling down means getting up. Experiment, explore, expose, and extend yourself for success. Lightning won’t strike you if you don’t get on the field.
- Savour your wins. Take the time to celebrate. Revel in your results. Take the pause to refresh yourself. Reward yourself in the way you enjoy the most. Embed the win in your identity. Confidence comes from having done it before. Every win makes the next win bigger and better. Share your wins with people who want you to win. You’ll multiply their mojo as well.
- Sustain Your wins. Develop your recipe for winning. Make it S.E.D. – specific, enjoyable and disciplined. Know the steps and take joy in taking them. We do more of the things we like doing. Make them non negotiable. We execute our priorities and we procrastinate on the rest. I gave you my Top Ten Small Wins. Now give me yours. Send them to mike.lipkin@environics.ca
That’s it from me. Be the reason why someone wins small today. If we all win small, we’ll all win big.
