At a time when we are conditioned to work toward specific goals, meet high standards and recognize our achievements, it is difficult to imagine anything outside of our university bubble. However, now more than ever is the time to celebrate the small things.
A lot of people say “don’t sweat the small stuff,” but I say that we should indeed sweat this small stuff. What is more important now is our ability to celebrate the small things that we accomplish on a daily basis in order to remind ourselves of the good work we have put forth — whether it be measured daily, weekly or monthly.
It is so easy to become overwhelmed with the essay to write, the assignment to finish, or the presentation to prepare for. In the midst of all of these things, stop and realize the small things you are accomplishing every day.
The salad you ate for lunch instead of the burger you were craving, the 30-minute workout you managed to squeeze in between classes or the one class concept you finally understood; although they sound simple it still matters.
Stopping to celebrate these small things will put a smile on your face and help in accomplishing a bigger goal. Negative energy can erupt as we get into the core of our academics. The assignments may not provide us our best feedback, we are swamped with having things due in one week, the push for us to stay motivated until the end of the semester can feel almost impossible.
Remember the lighter things in life can alter the harder things that you need to work on and make your days turn out to be the better than expected.
Sometimes a little positive push can drive us forward to tackle the big things. Reflecting by acknowledging what you did can make tasks that seem more daunting to be a challenge that can be achieved instead of a chore you are dreading to tackle on.
Motivation is channeled by what has been done and what you can do in the future. Adding in the smaller goals can add a boost in confidence and self-acknowledgement. We are easily defeated when what we’ve been working for doesn’t succeed, but getting excited about the little things along the way is what makes it all worth it.
You may have to walk to school today, but appreciate the fact that it’s not pouring rain. You may have just spent your last five dollars on a latte, but at least it was the best latte you’ve ever had.
It’s hard to recognize the good things when we are so preoccupied trying to stay afloat in the sea of university, but the challenge is clear — notice the simple things. Do you accept the challenge?
Catch Autumn’s radio show, The Healthy Hawk on Radio Laurier every Monday at 7 p.m.