What's your origin story?
Your day includes countless victories, even if you have to look at them under a microscope. But each one brings us closer to our goals and dreams, and no matter how small, each is a milestone worth celebrating! Constantly chasing the big goals without acknowledging your small wins—those little things that you nail every day—can be exhausting and stressful.
High Expectations, my old nemesis
I get it, we set high expectations for ourselves. I do it all the time, whether it’s starting a new series of paintings or taking on a new hobby. It’s tempting to focus on the big, shiny end result instead of the smaller steps along the way. While holding a great vision can be helpful when embarking on a new venture, it can also distract from the important victories you need to maintain momentum. Small wins go a long way!
Are we there yet...?
It’s easy to feel like we are behind in getting to where we want to be. I relate to trying your hardest but still not seeing the returns. In any circumstance, we might need to reframe our experiences and extract every minuscule grain of positivity from a situation. Just the other day, I was inspecting my mini vineyard, searching for new little grapes. When I found a few tiny ones, I was so excited because I knew they would turn delicious in just a few more days! Those little grapes are like small wins—they may seem insignificant now, but they hold the promise of something wonderful.
Achieving anything big requires taking a long view. Getting there will seem a lot more manageable when you break it up into mini-milestones that you can visually see, track, and celebrate when you nail them! Sometimes we need to see our lives like a video game, where every level completed gets you one step closer to defeating the big boss.
My brain was focused on celebrating when a gallery opening was a success, or how many paintings we sold, or if the project ended up in success. But I realized I was missing the beauty of the process, the mini wins, the lovely comments from friends and people, the impact on other people’s lives, and even the joy of growing as an artist and working with my team.
You are a limited edition...
When we only focus on the epic wins, we might find opposite results, putting on a lot of pressure and leading to comparisons with others, and we all know that’s not fun at all. Remember the story of the fish trying to climb a tree? Each of us has unique strengths and abilities, and we do things our way. Sometimes we face a lot of criticism for just being ourselves. Recognizing our small wins helps us appreciate our own unique ways. Again, there’s only one YOU. You’re the limited edition.
We all love epic results and superhero landings, but there’s a lot of beauty and joy in the small wins. Big heroes don’t start flying; they start by jumping little distances between buildings until they make it to the news! We associate success and fulfillment with big epic milestones. Remember, every superhero has an origin story. The first step to being a superhero is becoming aware of your powers. Imagine if He-Man had given up after the first set and never picked up a barbell. It’s the sum of small victories that can make a meaningful impact.
And that is what I explore through my art, the chance to find the extraordinary, the humor, and the inspiration to live an out-of-the-ordinary life.
