Frustrated by stalled progress? Celebrate your small wins I have a big list of goals that I have accumulated over the years, ranging from visiting interesting and exotic places to accomplishing difficult tasks like writing a book. My enthusiasm to conceptualize and get excited about new things is never my problem ... bringing them to life and making them happen sometimes is. Do you ever feel like you spend a lot of time frustrated by all that you are not doing, even though you always seem to be busy? Perhaps all you need is shift in perspective. We tend to set up grand expectations for ourselves, then beat ourselves up when we fall short. Instead, what if we got in the habit of congratulating ourselves for small, incremental wins in all parts of our lives? This could be for things like: Taking the first step on a big writing project, like opening Microsoft Word, naming the document and writing the first two sentences. Getting started is often the hardest part, and any writer knows that a blank page screeches at you in a deafening tone. Facing and dealing with challenging situations at home like cleaning up an unruly kitchen drawer, talking to your tweener about the birds and bees, cleaning out and organizing your bulging pile of monthly bills or helping your teenager deal with her first heartbreak. Working on a personal challenge like curbing your spending, losing weight or repairing a fractured relationship with a family member. Moving forward on a longtime fantasy about opening your own business by drawing a "mind map" of all the different tasks that you need to complete to make this vision a reality. All too often, we overlook small steps of progress, and beat ourselves up emotionally for the huge tasks we haven't accomplished. I heard someone describe this as as "nibbles on your soul," when you constantly say things to yourself like: Why didn't you take care of that? Why can't you get this problem under control? You are NEVER going to (start that business) (clean up your credit) (lose that 20 pounds) (buy a house)! You are the world's biggest slacker. Why do you procrastinate so much? Most people's reaction to these self-inflicted attacks is to resist, hide and rebel. My escapist behavior when beating myself up usually involves pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, all-day marathons of watching Law and Order or mindless web surfing. Regardless of your reaction, it is probably safe to say that you don't get a huge burst of enthusiasm to get things done after thinking these thoughts. Instead, why not focus on celebrating your small wins, whatever they are? You can learn about yourself and build skills even doing the most mundane tasks. For example, this weekend, I accomplished the following things: Washed, folded and put away 5 loads of laundry in succession, without letting one load mildew in the washer since I was too lazy to transfer it to the dryer. Even though laundry can be less than challenging, I took a task that I am not very fond of, handled it in a straight-forward way, and didn't let myself get frustrated or annoyed at having to do it. Takeaway: If I don't spend hours obsessing over why I detest a task so much and just start doing it, it will be over before I know it and I will feel great that it is taken care of. Made it through a day of at least thirteen two-year old toddler meltdowns involving varying degrees of screaming, tears, flailing limbs, and heartbreaking expressions, all while keeping my cool and only resorting to bribery with candy once. My husband and I would trade off the "primary tantrum manager" role every hour or so, which gave us time to decompress, distract ourselves and get some other things done (like laundry!) By evening, we were still in good spirits and laughing, which was a small miracle given our tumultuous day. And our two-year old Josh was happy too. Takeaway: Deal with conflict and anger in a calm, patient way, and call in reinforcements when it gets to be too much. Maintain a sense of humor in the face of adversity, and stay centered on the long-term benefit of the conflict. Cleaned up my desk and inbox, and organized projects into folders. Even though I have more going on than feels comfortable, I got a clear sense of priorities and started my week with a clean desk and manageable to do list. Takeaway: When work becomes overwhelming, stop, clean up, organize and prioritize. Clutter in your environment contributes to clutter in your brain. By focusing on little wins and seeing the lessons in everyday tasks, you will cultivate an attitude of growth and gratitude that will make your life more interesting, energized and pleasant. Most importantly, you will not waste valuable emotional energy beating yourself up, and can get moving on making progress on your goals! What are your thoughts about celebrating small wins as a way to stay productive? Please share them at the blog! The Blog In Escape from Cubicle Nation, I write about 5 entries a week on topics related to helping people in corporate jobs break out and start their own business. Here are some recent posts from the month of April: I have a "great job," lots of money, responsibility and respect. Why aren't I happy?  Searching for your perspective on the timeless "what work am I meant to do?" question  Package your smarts so you can make money in your sleep  Controversy is good:  go ahead, disagree with me!  Nice Wall St. Journal Online Small Biz Blog List (yes, I was featured in the WSJ! I am tickled pink) If you want to be notified of new posts, you can sign up in the box in upper right corner that says "Sign up here - and I'll let you know when I post." Or if you are savvy about RSS, just click on my feed button right below the sign-up box. Tired of reading? Catch the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast. I post a new episode every other Monday. Here's the place to listen to past shows and sign up for automatic updates. Escape from Cubicle Nation Teleclass I will be offering one f*ree teleclass each month on the topic of Escaping from Cubicle Nation with a Question and Answer format. We always have a great discussion, and the calls are recorded to listen to afterward. Call Details: Escape from Cubicle Nation Q&A The first Wednesday of every month 3pm-4pm Eastern (12pm Pacific, 1pm Mountain, 2pm Central, 8pm UK) To sign up for any of the upcoming classes for the rest of the year, see this page.. It is important to confirm that you signed up of your own will by opening up and clicking the link in the confirmation email. It will come from me (pcs@ganas.com) and the subject will be "Confirm your request for information for the (date) teleclass." Follow the simple directions in the email and you will confirm your attendance and receive the call-in details. I really look forward to meeting you on the call! Not a Get a Life Subscriber yet? Click here to subscribe. Welcome new subscribers! I am so happy that you have joined the Get a Life subscriber list. You are in good company! Get a Life readers are smart, funny, ambitious, compassionate and interested in the world around them. If you know any like-minded individuals who would benefit from this eZine, please send them an invitation to join via the Get a Life Referral Page. All the best, -Pam Pamela Slim 480-663-3252 pcs@ganas.com skype: pamela.slim To View Past Issues of Get a Life click here ©  Pamela Slim, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the Get a Life eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution. Please also notify me.