“You’ve lost weight.”
A friend said that to me this week. The timing made me smile, because it came on a weekend when I’d given myself a break from my new routine.
Back in 2020 I wrote a chapter in my book, Done Beats Perfect, called Celebrate Your Victories. This is how it starts:
Let’s face it, what do we often do when we achieve something?
We immediately look for the next thing we need to do. We fail to recognise our progress. We look at the glass as half empty. We still see the long road ahead. We don’t see how far we have already travelled.
Done Beats Perfect, Chapter 25, Celebrate Your Victories
So before I plan the next thing, here are two wins from my week.
Back to creating every day
The big one is getting back to daily content creation, just for me. I think a few small nudges led to me doing that. Getting an AI assistant to help me has made a huge difference to the progress I’ve made.
The photos that felt like a punch in the face
The second is another small nudges, big win story. If I’m honest, the nudges had been coming for a year or more. In April I saw some photos and video of myself, and they felt more like a punch in the face. I really didn’t enjoy the way I was looking.
So what did I do? I changed my daily habits. Well, actually, I created new disciplines that eventually became habits. Simple things. Walking to the shops instead of driving. Getting outside on purpose for at least 30 minutes every day. Cutting out ultra-processed food and sugar.
I’m not in monk mode any more. Although I’m typing this in a brown hoodie that my partner says looks like a monk’s habit!
And my celebration for that win? Breaking my habits, and being gentle with myself. I took a weekend off from the new routine without beating myself up about it, and in the same weekend a friend told me I’d lost weight.
How I mark a win
In that chapter I wrote that the reward should fit the win. Small win, small reward. Bigger win, bigger reward.
Mine are pretty simple. Anything from a relaxing bath to a walk or a gym session (yes, that can be a reward). Listening to music. Drinking good coffee. The occasional pastry, chocolate bar or other sweet treat.
And I ALWAYS write my gratitude list, every single night. It’s where I get to see how far I’ve already travelled, instead of staring at the long road ahead.
What’s one win from your week that you skipped straight past?
