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Small Wins, Big Impact: Making the Most of Everyday Achievements

Small Wins, Big Impact: Making the Most of Everyday Achievements

by | Online Business

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Small Business Owner working at desk| Celebrating Small Wins: The Key to Big Success

It came to me while I was out walking our dogs. You see, I wasn’t sure what would be the best topic for Episode 50 of the Content Systems for Growth Podcast. Not only is this episode 50, but it’s also the final podcast and blog post of 2023. Of course, why celebrate your small wins is the perfect topic. 

 

Hitting 50 episodes is a small win that deserves to be celebrated. How about you, Friend? Is this something that you do in your life and business? Do you celebrate your wins no matter the size of the accomplishment? If not, why don’t you? Regardless of the size of the win, you should take the time to give it a proper celebration. 

 

How often do you pause and bask in the joy of your accomplishments? When you succeed, do you allow yourself the time to celebrate? This practice is not just about recognizing success; it’s about cherishing the journey, especially for those of us balancing the demands of business and family life.

The Gap and The Gain

I’m curious: have you read the book by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan, The Gap and The Gain? If you’ve not read this book, I encourage you to do so. 

 

“When you’re in the GAIN, you focus on what you’ve actually done. You measure your GAINS and use those GAINS to create more and better GAINS in your future.” Hardy, Benjamin; Sullivan, Dan. The Gap and The Gain (p. xxviii). Hay House. Kindle Edition. 

 

Celebrating your small wins is precisely about focusing on these gains. It’s about acknowledging the steps you’ve taken, the hurdles you’ve overcome, and the progress you’ve made. Your dreams are built from small victories.

 

Here are a few simple ways to celebrate your wins:

Start A Success Jar for your Small Wins

 

Over the years as a business owner, I’ve tracked my accomplishments in a few different practices. The first was with a success jar. I’d write down the actual win I was celebrating on a little piece of paper and drop it in the jar. 

 

It’s super simple: jot down what you’re celebrating on a piece of paper and toss it in the jar. 

 

When you have those days, you know, the days I'm talking about, where things just seem not to be going your way, or it feels like you will never reach your goals. The days you need that little bit of extra encouragement.

 

That’s when you grab your success jar, pull out a few of your past accomplishments, relax, and step into the feeling you had when celebrating the win. It’s an instant day brightener. 😍

Journal Of Your Accomplishment

 

Not into a Success Jar? Another powerful tool I’ve embraced is maintaining a Journal of Accomplishments. Doesn’t that sound fun? This practice goes beyond the tangible wins. It's about documenting the journey, the growth, and the lessons learned along the way. Each page of this journal is a testament to your resilience, creativity, and dedication as an entrepreneur.

 

In this journal, write more than just the accomplishment itself. Reflect on what it took to get there – the challenges you overcame, the skills you honed, and the knowledge you gained. You're not just sharing your successes here; this is a story from your entrepreneurial journey.

 

On days when doubt creeps in, flipping through this journal serves as a powerful reminder of your capabilities and progress. It's not just about the destination but also about appreciating the little wins you’ve had along your journey.

 

Additionally, this journal provides insights into future strategies. As you review your past achievements, patterns of success emerge. As Tony Robbins said “Success leaves clues.” 

 

You'll start to see what works best for you, which strategies generate the most results, and how you’ve grown as a business owner and as an individual. It’s not only a source of inspiration but also a strategic tool for planning your next big move.

 

So, whether it's a success jar brimming with notes of victories or a journal filled with detailed accounts of your entrepreneurial journey, these practices are more than just self-congratulation. They are vital tools for reflection, motivation, and strategic planning. They remind you that every step, no matter how small, is a step towards greater success.

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Small Business Owner working at desk| Celebrating Small Wins: The Key to Big Success

Digital Success Tracking: Daily Journal with Notion

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, I’m guessing you already know my love for Notion.  Designed with flexibility and user-friendliness, Notion combines notes, tasks, databases, and project management into a seamless interface.

Using Notion, you can keep a daily journal to keep track of gratitude, wins, challenges, and improvement.

Do a search on YouTube, and you’ll find more than one resource to learn more about Notion.

Using Notion to track daily successes came from Marie Poulen. Here is a link to her YouTube video where she talks about using notion as a daily journal. https://youtu.be/1Z06fqYhNgM?si=LUQ3L2BQJ_k74wcb

Marie has this genius little roll-up for the whole week for a simple weekly reflection, allowing a look back at your daily gratitude, wins, lows/challenges, or things that you could do better.

In addition, these roll up into a month recap that rolls up into a year recap. So you can see all of your information right there in one spot. I absolutely love the ability to go back and reflect on everything. It is all right there. One big roll-up of all the daily wins for encouragement and celebration!

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Small Business Owner working at desk| Celebrating Small Wins: The Key to Big Success

Step Out of the Hurry

Finding joy in the small things is what breathes life into the daily hustle of running an online business. Without taking time to celebrate these moments, it's easy to get caught up in the endless rush, always moving from one task to the next, chasing the next big goal. However, it's crucial to pause and recognize the value in these little victories.

Taking time each day to reflect allows you to step out of this perpetual hurry. It’s about more than just a pause; it’s an opportunity to sit down, embrace joy, and celebrate the wins in your business, no matter their size. This practice isn’t just a break in your routine; it’s vital to nurturing your entrepreneurial spirit and reminding yourself why you embarked on this journey.

Acknowledging and embracing these achievements ensures that your business journey is as successful as it is fulfilling.

Other Options May Include

Now, let's circle back to other creative ways to celebrate and reflect on your wins. While a paper success journal is a classic choice, many other avenues exist to explore. How about a digital twist with a Google Doc? This can be a dynamic way to track your progress, accessible from anywhere at any time.

But the options don’t stop there. Consider these alternatives:

  • Digital Success Board: Create a digital success board where you visualize future goals and track your accomplishments. Tools like Canva or Milanote can be perfect for this.

  • Video Diary: In a digital era, why not keep a video diary? Record a short video each time you have a win. It’s a personal and lively way to capture the moment and your emotions. The app Day One allows you to create audio and video journal entries.
  • Social Media Shoutouts: Share your wins on social media. It’s not just about broadcasting your achievements; it’s about inspiring others and, perhaps, even starting conversations with fellow entrepreneurs.
  • Celebration Rituals: Establish small rituals to celebrate wins, like a special cup of coffee, a walk outside, or anything that signifies a moment of success for you.
  • Gratitude Lists: Keep a gratitude list where you note down what you're thankful for, including your business achievements. It helps keep things in perspective and cultivates a positive mindset.

Remember, each win, no matter its size, is a stepping stone in your entrepreneurial journey. They deserve recognition and celebration. So, find the method that resonates with you and make it a habit to acknowledge every achievement along the way!

Share Them

Social Media Shoutouts too much for your friend? Aww, I get it's not my style either; even so, don’t keep your wins to yourself; share what you’re celebrating with somebody and let them know that you’re super excited about what you've accomplished. Woohoo!

You set the goal, and you’ve been putting in the work to achieve it. Celebrate Friend!

You did it; you've finally gotten there. Be excited, share that with people, and let them share in your excitement.

Come on, Friend, why just be lackluster about all those small wins? Do you want to know what? Your little wins all add up to big accomplishments. They keep you moving forward and celebrate your win!

Time To Wrap This Up 🎁

Make it a habit to document your achievements, big or small, in a way that works for you. By putting them in writing, you create a valuable resource that you can revisit whenever you need an extra boost of motivation in your life or business.

I strongly encourage you to establish your own method of tracking successes. This could be anything from a simple success jar, where you drop notes of your accomplishments, to maintaining a paper journal. Alternatively, dive into digital tools like Notion, Evernote, or OneNote – choose the tool that best suits your style.

The key is to track and celebrate all your wins consistently. This practice becomes especially valuable on those challenging days, providing the encouragement we all need from time to time. 

There will always be moments of setbacks for every entrepreneur. Having a tangible reminder of your successes can make all the difference in pushing forward and maintaining your momentum.

Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate you, and I hope you have a wonderful week.

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How to Achieve Your Goals and Grow Your Business

How to Achieve Your Goals and Grow Your Business

by | Online Business

The journal entry said, “I’m sitting down right now typing this in the same place I was a year ago, two years ago, three years ago.”

Can you relate to this? As a mother with a bustling household and ambitious business dreams, have you found yourself asking, ‘How exactly do I turn this goal into my reality this year?

If you’re anything like me, this may not be the first year you have set a goal to make your business dream a reality.

Let’s have a heart-to-heart conversation about how to achieve your goal. Here are five tips that you can do to hit your goals. Do them all, or take the tips that you feel will drive you to achievement. 

1. Take Action Towards Your Goals

Yes, this one is not groundbreaking. Hear me out: I am surprised at the number of clients I’ve worked with who set a goal without creating an action plan Or the entrepreneurs who change the goal right before they are about to hit the goal, sabotaging their success.

This one is not a shocker. You have to take action. I’ve not found a goal yet that achieved itself. 

Remember, any action is better than not taking any action. 

One thing that I’ve told team members in the past is that this isn’t brain surgery. If we take the wrong action, we give ourselves grace and try something different. 

Please let me give you this disclaimer. I’ve not always had this perspective. Nope, I had to go through a few years of insanity, you know, doing the same thing and expecting a different result before I embraced messy, imperfect action. 

The first step to achieve your goal is action. Dreams become attainable when we put in the effort. Remember, any action, no matter how small, is better than inaction. Embrace the mantra, “Business is easy when I take messy, imperfect action,” and let it guide you through the uncertainties and challenges of entrepreneurship.

 

When I get all in my head or allow something else to become more important than achieving my goal, this is when I pull out the old trusty business mantra. 

Business is easy when I take messy, imperfect action.

How to Achieve Your Goals and Grow Your Business | Online Business Owner writing out goals

Write Yourself a Motivational Note

On days when motivation wanes, a personal note can be a powerful reminder to stay on course. Write yourself a tough love note to pull out on those days when you feel like giving up or not doing the things that need to be done. 

I did this a few years ago when I found myself comparing my beginning to other online businesses middle. It wasn’t anything special. I just pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a note to myself. It was short and sweet. 

Hey Michele,

Stay in your own lane, honey. You’ve got this, stop comparing yourself to everyone else. 

Love you,

Chele

That note was my bookmark in my journal. A daily reminder that I must run my own race. 

3. Accountability: The Key to Success

Holding yourself accountable is essential. I get it; this is easier for some than others. It's about prioritizing your goals, even as you balance the demands of family and business.

We have to hold ourselves accountable or get an accountability business buddy. If it is not important to you, who is it important to?

It is that personal accountability, that self-integrity that we need to hold as a gold standard. Keeping your promise to yourself must be as important as keeping a promise to another.

It can be easy to put others’ needs and to-do lists before our own. When it comes down to it, we ultimately make the decision. We make the choice. It’s either important to us, or it’s not. If it is truly important, we will find the time. And if not, any excuse will do.

Walk Through

Watch the video below as I walk you through these key points.

l

Little Side Note

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.” ~Conrad Hilton~

The Power of Saying No

Friends, if you want to step into a true leader of your business, learning to say no is vital. 

Say no to obligations that don't align with your goals or values. Are you horrified right now? 

It’s okay to say no. If you need permission, I give you permission to say no to things that you feel you “should” do. Just say no. In order to balance your budding business and busy family, it require you to be a good steward of your time. 

I encourage you to say no to things that you should say no to. The things that you do out of obligation.

It gets easier to say no, I promise. But when you say no to busy work or things that bring you frustration, it allows you to say YES to the things that you actually want to do. 

In the end, when you say yes to things that you should say no to, it means that you are saying no to something you’d love to say YES to. If that makes any sense. 

Start off by challenging yourself to say no at least once a day when you normally would have said yes out of obligation. It is perfectly okay to ask if you can evaluate your schedule and get back to them. Doing this allows you to think through if it is a good yes. What is worse than saying yes than going back on our word? Is it better to say no right away?

Why are you saying yes if your gut reaction is not a million yeses when asked to do something?

Putting your goal first will be much easier once you’ve built up your “no” muscle. If you’re still struggling to say no. Create a no list. Create a list of things that you’ve done in the past that you will say no to in the future. C’mon friend, I know you have these.

Ask Yourself, “What If?”

Consider the consequences of not taking action towards your goals. Ask yourself, “What if I don’t take any action towards my goal?” What will happen? You guessed it, you're not going to achieve your goal again. What else will happen? 

You're probably going to feel pretty frustrated and disappointed in yourself. Are you okay with that? 

If it’s not a big deal to you, why did you set the goal to begin with? 

What if things don’t go as planned? How do you handle this? Do you stop throwing up your hands and start in on all the excuses? From managing a busy family and building an online business, I know that something always seems to throw a wrench into my plan. How you react is what matters. Prepare yourself for potential setbacks and have a strategy to handle them. Also, envision the positive outcomes. What will achieving your goal means for your life and business? Focusing on the positive can dramatically shift your mindset.

Always ask what if…

Ask what if I do not take any action towards my goal. What will happen, what is the outcome? What if it doesn’t go as planned, how will I handle it. Cause we all know that things do not go as planned. What are you going to do? How will you react? Think through all the things that could derail you from achieving your goal. 

Make sure to ask yourself, what if it works? What if I achieve this goal? How will it change my life and my business? 

We need to think through things beforehand to reframe our thinking. To stop looking for the negative and to start looking for the positive. Because I promise you whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find.

Content Systems for Growth Podcast | How to Achieve Your Goals and Grow Your Business

Celebrate Every Success

Remember to celebrate your achievements every day, no matter how small. 

Being your own cheerleader is essential in maintaining motivation and momentum towards your goal. 

Next week's episode 50 Power of Small Wins is sure to inspire. 

It’s Time To Wrap This Up

Here are the key takeaways when working to achieve your goal.

  • Take small, daily actions towards your goals.
  • Keep a motivational note handy for challenging days.
  • There is no such thing as perfect, messy imperfect action that will get you much further to achieving your goals than waiting for perfect. And you’ll also learn and grow a ton along the way. 
  • If your goal is not important to you, who is important too?
  • Prioritize your goal; say no to tasks that don't align with them.
  • Ask What if it doesn’t work, what will I do? What if it does work? What will I do?
  • Celebrate your successes and be your own cheerleader.

As a busy mother with an active family, achieving your goal is all about finding balance, staying motivated, and prioritizing your dreams. You have the strength and determination to make your goals a reality.

Book A 1-Hour Virtual Session

Discover the Secret to Effortless Content Creation –

From Overwhelmed to Thriving: Your Content Creation Simplified Journey Starts Here!

Book Now!

Here are a couple of suggested posts from the past. 

Mind Mapping To Plan Your Goals

Mind Mapping To Plan Your Goals

Mind mapping to plan your goals changes the way your brain thinks as it moves it into a creative and visual activity. You’re able to create a mind map with software or on paper. I like to create mine on paper and let my mind wander.

Accountability Buddy for Success

How Can I Increase My Chances Of Success As A Solopreneur?

How can I increase my chances of success as a solopreneur? Find yourself a business bestie that will hold you accountable for achieving the big scary commitments that you’ve made to your online business.

5 Steps for a Successful Strategic Planning Day Process

5 Steps for a Successful Strategic Planning Day Process

by | Online Business, Planning-Organization-Productivity

Free Resource for a Strategic Planning Day Process

Hey there, friend! You're in the right place if you're juggling the demands of running an online business, taking care of your family, and trying to create consistent, organic content. A Strategic Planning Day isn't just a “nice-to-have”; it's a non-negotiable if you're serious about scaling your business and reclaiming your time.

So, refill that coffee mug, and let's dive into the five steps for a successful strategic planning day process your roadmap to business bliss.

If your business growth is not important to you then you’ll be stuck in your online business. Put on your CEO hat and be the person your future self will be proud of. (: 

Why You Need a Strategic Planning Day Process

Your calendar should include a Strategic Planning Day if you're serious about scaling your online business. Done quarterly, this focused time allows you to step into your CEO shoes and map out a path for growth. When you have a set process for your planning day you'll not miss any important steps.

The Struggle is Real, But So is the Solution

If you're anything like me, you're juggling a million things simultaneously. Running an online business, taking care of your family, and trying to create consistent, organic content. It's a lot, right? But here's the good news: you're not alone, and there's a way to make it all work seamlessly.

The Secret Sauce: Planning Workbook

One of the most popular resources I offer is a planning workbook. It is 50 pages that are chock-full of all the prompts you need to plan well in your business. It is between the workbook and the email series that goes a long with it you'll have a strategic planning day process to follow. Would you like to know what all these things are that are in this planning workbook? Wonderful! I'd love to give you a sneak peek at it today, and I really hope and pray that it is helpful for you.

Are you ready to get into the five steps for a successful Strategic Planning Day Process that is truly transformative?

Grab your copy of the planning workbook here!

1. Create a Distraction-Free Zone

Do you want to know the first thing you must do? You should put time on your calendar so that you actually will do this, have integrity with yourself, and complete this planning day.

It’s a lot if you cannot get through it all in one day; no worries, friend, break it up into days, or maybe you want to stay at a hotel for a weekend. What is essential is you focus on your business and where you're going in the next 12 weeks.

Before you start, ensure you're setting yourself up for success. Turn off notifications, close unnecessary browser tabs, and silence your phone. This is your time to focus solely on your business, so make it count.

2. Start with Reflection: The Foundation of Your Strategic Planning Day

Kick off your Strategic Planning Day by reflecting on your business journey. You must take a step back so that you can look forward. You're going to spend 15 minutes journaling and reflecting.

Grab your journal and jot down.

  • What has worked well for you
  • Areas that need improvement
  • Lessons learned (the good, the bad, and the ugly)

Remember, you're amazing, and acknowledging your wins is a crucial part of the process.

While you have your journal, let’s also do a self-assessment.

How happy are you really? Not put on a show fake happy, but like real, real happy.

How happy are you in these areas of your life:

  1. Money
  2. Personal Growth
  3. Self Care (Mind, Body, spirit)
  4. Family and Friends
  5. Love and Relationships
  6. You Time (Fun and Leisure)
  7. Home Environment
  8. Business

You're going to put a mark on each one of those categories from one to ten by ranking your happiness. A 10 means you’re happy and fulfilled in this area of your life. The areas that you may not be so happy about will probably be more like one or two.

5 Elements in a Strategic Planning VIP Day

3. Revisit and Realign Your Vision

Your vision is the North Star of your Strategic Planning Day. Read it out loud and ask yourself:

  • Does it still align with your current vision?
  • Does it evoke feelings of happiness, pride, and achievement?
  • If not, it's time for some adjustments.

4. Set SMART Goals: The Heart of Your Strategic Planning Day

Next, stop in your strategic planning day and set your goals for the next 12 weeks.

How can you make your vision a reality? By breaking it down into small, actionable goals.

I want you to take a look at what you want to achieve. What are your top three business, personal, and financial goals that you have for yourself?

Ask yourself, what are you committed to achieving? Identify what you are actually committed to 100%. Without your true commitment, you may struggle to get it done.

Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty—your goals. Break them down into three categories:

  • One-year goals (Think big, like financial milestones)
  • 90-day goals (Smaller objectives that contribute to your one-year goals)
  • 30-day focus (Immediate actions to propel your business forward)

5. Commit and Break Down the Plan

A plan is only as good as its execution. Break down your goals into actionable steps, assigning responsibilities and deadlines. This is where your commitment comes into play; without it, even the best-laid plans can fall apart.

Have you ever broken down a goal into actionable steps, or are you more of a winger? Trust me, I wing with the best of them, but the things that truly matter are better off with a plan.

In step five of your strategy day, you will map it out. So, how do you make sure that you achieve those goals? You actually sit down, and you map out your goal.

Start at the end and work back to the beginning. How will you know that you’ve accomplished your goal? What was the step right before that, then the step before that? Map out all the different steps that must happen. Please keep in mind small, actionable steps that you can do every single day in order to move forward toward your goal.

Sit down and do a whole mind sweep of every step you think you will need to do to achieve that goal. And once you have it, you want to map it out with who's responsible.

If it's only you in your business. Well, you’ll be the only one doing the work. You also need to look at your time and the actual time bank that you have to get everything done. We tend to underestimate the amount of work and time something will take to get done. Make sure to give yourself grace.
To create your plan, you must also figure out how much time you’ll be working. It's time to pull out that calendar and determine how many days out of the office you want in the next 12 weeks. What days will your kiddos be home because they are off on a random day? What are the must-attend kid events? What holidays are upcoming? the holidays. All of those things. Then, you need to be able to reverse engineer from that end date to ensure that you have enough time to get all the items done. To make that goal a reality.

If it's not alone and you have a team member who is the team number that will be doing the work. You need to know all the action items; no more flying by the seat of your pants. You need to have the who, the want, and the when documented, preferably in a project management tool like Asana, Trello, or MeisterTask. All the actions are assigned a date by knowing the end date and revenue engineering the time frame.

Depending on how big your goals are, you may have a couple of goals in the quarter however, if you have something big, like a launch. Then, you only want one goal for that entire quarter.

Here is an example of how to set up an Asana Board for Goals and Quarterly Planning:

An example of a Asana board set up for goals and quarterly planning for an online business owner

Map out important dates

As I mentioned earlier, you must understand your time bank for the quarter. How many hours do you really have to work on the goals and projects in your business? Do you have a realistic amount of time to get everything done in the timeframe that your brain is telling you?

It is essential to take the time to map out the dates and the actual chunks of time that you’ll work on your goals and project. When you do this, you’re not sitting down at your desk wondering what do I need to do today. It is all planned out for you in advance, thoughtfully.

Be sure to start by marking all the out-of-office dates on your calendar.

  • Vacation Days
  • Important Kid Events
  • No School Days
  • Holidays
  • Add all the out-of-office dates to your Google Calendar.

Everything else is mapped around those dates on your calendar. It's important for me to know the commitments and the time bank when I'm working on my promotion calendar or a client's promotion calendar.

Walk Through Video

Just in case you'd prefer to see the key elements of a successful planning day, here's a video I created a few years ago.

Bonus: Your Content Calendar and Beyond

While not directly related to strategic planning, your content calendar is crucial. Plan out your content for the next three months, week by week. This will help you stay consistent and aligned with your goals.

Don’t Forget To Track Your Numbers

If you do not already have a stat/metric tracker in place, do that. What gets measured gets improved. Here are a few ideas of comment states:

  • Website Traffic
  • Email Subscribers
  • Engagement
  • Number of Clients
  • Number of Leads
  • Number of Sales

Let’s Wrap This Up:

There you have it, the ultimate guide to a successful Strategic Planning Day. Implement these five key elements, and you're heading to a thriving business. Get 'em, you've got this!

Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you, and I hope you have a wonderful week.

Book A 1-Hour Virtual Session

Discover the Secret to Effortless Content Creation –

From Overwhelmed to Thriving: Your Content Creation Simplified Journey Starts Here!

Book Now!

✁ Just a Snippet

Here is just a snippet of the important points, you know for the skimmer in you. 🤪

  • Looking back is the best way to move forward.
  • Are you still in alignment with your vision?
  • What are you actually committed to doing?
  • Add all the important out of office dates to your calendar
  • Create a plan and commit to your success
  • How do you know you’ve improved without having a business pulse with all your numbers?
  • Go get ’em, tiger! You’ve got this.