The word success means different things to different people.  Success often means an attainment of something big: receiving a promotion, losing a lot of weight, completing a degree, or having well-raised children.  Yet, what about when attaining something small?  How do we view that?

I recently added a component to one of my group programs – a success/accomplishment component.  Each week my clients take a look at what they have done in order to acknowledge and celebrate them.  It does not matter if an accomplishment was big or small, what they focus on is the success of their actions.  Many have a bigger goal in mind, yet by focusing attention on the actions that they are taking consistently and getting results from, they see their success every step of the way.

So, when you think of success what do you think of?  I challenge you to look over your week, and even your day, to see where you have had success.  You will be amazed at how much you had for which you didn’t give yourself credit!  How you think often gets in your way of success.  Let’s say you realized your health was important and you decided to cut back on sugar, and in place of cookies you would eat one piece of fruit.  And the next time you craved cookies, you did just that – you chose the fruit.  That, my friend, is success!  Or maybe you decided that you want to get more exercise and said, “I’m exercising one hour every day”.  And you do exercise, but it isn’t for one hour every day, it is for 20 minutes three times a week.  That, my friend, is success also!  I know what you are thinking, “You said one hour every day and that’s not what happened.”  However, if you look at your goal — wanting to get more exercise — and ask “Did I accomplish that?”  YES, you did.  You exercised.  That is your success.

Simply by shifting your thoughts of what success means to you, how you go about reaching your goals, and whether or not you recognize yourself for your accomplishments along the way all make a difference.  Congratulating yourself for your efforts and dedication now will lead to future successes… and reaching them joyfully.

We often forget that it is the smaller steps that bring us to our ultimate goal and what we perceive as ‘the success’.  There is a saying, ‘”Don’t sweat the small stuff” – and it’s true, yet the small stuff can be just as important in our journey.

So, I’m curious about your thoughts on success, even just “Success to me is________” – please share them below!  I love to hear from you!

© Copyright 2012 Kim Ravida Coaching. All rights reserved. Feel free to use the material from the article in whole or in part, just makes sure you include this complete acknowledgement including the live website link and let me know where the material will appear: “Kim Ravida, owner and founder of Kim Ravida Coaching, is a Certified Professional Coach and a personal and professional motivation mentor. In essence, she motivates people to stop beating themselves up and helps them get off their butts so that they maximize their time and energy to quickly get what they want in their lives… and love their reflection! Kim produces a weekly ezine where she shares insights, inspirations, tips and ideas for setting and reaching personal and professional goals. To get more information or sign up, please go to www.kimravida.com.”