How Celebrating Small Wins Can Make a Big Difference
As author Ursula K. Le Guin once said, “It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
Still, it’s easy to get so caught up in earning the degree or crossing the finish line of a long-term personal goal that the work leading up to it gets overlooked. Because those smaller wins along the way don’t feel final, they’re often dismissed without notice or celebration.
But those moments matter more than you might realize. There’s real science behind celebrating them. So what is a small win, and how can you celebrate progress along the way?
What is a Small Win, and Why Celebrate It?
A small win is any moment of progress worth noticing.
“A small win is a victory that may seem inconsequential, but that is part of a whole that is actually quite impressive,” said Dr. Barbara Lesniak, an executive director at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) with experience overseeing online social sciences programs.
Lesniak holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology and also spent 15 years as a counselor at social service agencies.
“If we take the time to track and add up small wins over time, they weave an amazing tapestry,” she said.
What Counts as a Small Win?
Small wins look different for everyone, depending on goals, routines and responsibilities. Here are a few examples:
At work:
- Answering emails or returning voicemails
- Making incremental progress on a long-term assignment
- Receiving positive feedback
At school:
- Completing a term
- Incorporating instructor feedback and seeing improvement on the next assignment
- Meeting or exceeding a weekly assignment deadline
At home:
- Getting a chore done
- Hearing compliments from family on a new recipe
- Sticking to a new routine
For Luke Blaeser ’25, who earned his MS in Healthcare Administration from SNHU, recognizing small wins helped him appreciate his progress throughout his program.
“I think getting through each course — finishing each course — may not seem like a big victory at the time,” Blaeser said. “(Graduation) seems like such a far ways away, but finishing each course and (…) each submission every Sunday was such a big deal.”
By recognizing those moments along the way, Blaeser said he felt he was doing well and remaining productive. He encouraged other students to pause and acknowledge those moments, too.
“Recognizing those small accomplishments, those small victories, is such a big deal,” he said. “It’s important to appreciate where you are in the current moment.”
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Why Small Wins Are Easy to Overlook
Small wins are easy to miss, even when they happen regularly. Lesniak said it's their frequency that can make them harder to recognize.
“For example, if you have a talent for crafting, you may not give much weight to compliments that you hear frequently because you forget that not everyone has that skill,” she said. “You forget that it's something special about you.”
Frequency isn’t the only factor, according to Lesniak.
“People sometimes lose themself in the busyness of their lives or focus so much on their major goals that they forget that small wins can be just as sweet,” she said. “They have such a narrow focus on the destination that they don't celebrate the journey.”
What is the Psychology Behind Celebrating Little Wins?
Neurotransmitter dopamine is released whenever you do something that your brain perceives as a win, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"We know that dopamine releases endorphins, which make us feel happy and boosts our overall mood," said Caitlin Huertas Velasquez, an academic advisor at SNHU. "As humans, we love dopamine hits, so if we can get that from celebrating small wins, we absolutely should.”
Beyond how it feels in the moment, celebrating your little victories can also help you build confidence and stay motivated over time.
“Taking time to acknowledge something we’ve done well tells our brain that we can do it and here is the proof,” Huertas Velasquez said. “We’re constantly signaling things to our brain, so we might as well be telling it, ‘Hey, look at what I’ve done! We’ve got this, and we can keep going.’”
For students in particular, Huertas Velasquez said acknowledging small wins honors the effort it takes to balance multiple roles and responsibilities.
“Celebrating a single grade, (completing a) challenging course or moment of success can create the momentum and confidence students need to make it to graduation,” she said. “As an advisor, this celebration may come in the form of an email or a phone call to express kudos, but it's much deeper than that. It's someone showing up and saying, ‘I see you — I see how hard you're working.’”
Research backs this up. As Psychology Today noted, celebrating small wins helps you see progress as it happens and recover more easily from setbacks. It can also make you feel more connected to others when either celebrating as a team or group, or by simply sharing accomplishments with others. Together, those effects make long-term goals feel less isolating and more manageable.
Lesniak agreed. “It’s important to celebrate all wins, but it can be disheartening when a major goal seems so far away,” she said. “When you give small wins the proper level of importance, you don't have to wait for those good feelings.”
Ashley Franklin, an adjunct instructor in SNHU's English department who is also earning a master’s degree in marketing at the university, said she views small wins as a key part of the learning process.
“Since becoming a student here at SNHU, I consider every submitted task and assignment a small win,” she said. “I think it’s important for any student, at any level, to not solely focus on the grade they hope to earn, but the proof of learning and understanding that happens along the way. That could be in the form of tests, quizzes, classroom dialogue, etc.”
For Franklin, celebrating these smaller accomplishments is also about remembering what it takes to keep showing up.
“I hope that anyone reading this, especially any SNHU student, always remembers that each class you take, each assignment you submit and each page that you read is worth celebrating,” she said. “Not everyone is brave enough or fortunate enough to be able to continue their education, so each day that you show up and refuse to throw in the towel is worth celebrating. A win is a win.”
Small wins come from effort and motivation. Read more about how to stay motivated in college.
How to Celebrate Small Wins in Daily Life
Celebrating your small accomplishments doesn’t have to be elaborate. Often, it starts by simply noticing your progress and marking it in some small way, like writing it down in a journal or calendar, or even using a sticker system. Sometimes, that’s enough. Other times, celebrating might also include a small reward.
Either way, the point is to recognize the effort you’re putting in along the way.
“Celebrating small wins is something we get to do for ourselves every day,” said Antoinette Mack, academic advisor at SNHU. “Think of it as your personal rewards program, and you are the deserving recipient."
For Mack, celebrating small wins can mean giving herself permission to rest.
“I rarely get the opportunity to focus on myself without mom guilt or a long list of responsibilities waiting for me,” she said. “I intentionally carved out a few hours to read a few chapters of my new book and even took a two-hour nap. That, to me, is a win — those small, rewarding, guilt-free moments.”
Other ways to celebrate a small win could include:
- Buying a favorite coffee or treat
- Giving yourself extra reading or TV time
- Lighting a special candle or going to bed early
- Sharing the win with someone supportive
- Taking a bubble bath or a long shower
Even the smallest wins can make the biggest difference, simply by being noticed and allowed to matter.
"When you learn to value your daily efforts, imagine the difference it will make weekly, monthly, yearly and over a lifetime,” said Mack.
A degree can change your life. Find the SNHU online degree that can best help you meet your goals.
Rebecca Cahill is a content marketing assistant and writer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). She is completing her bachelor’s in creative writing and English and plans to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Based in Ohio, she also writes for FreshWater Cleveland and serves on the board of Literary Cleveland. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her with a good book, dogs at her side, and surrounded by way too many houseplants. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
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About Southern New Hampshire University
SNHU is a nonprofit, accredited university with a mission to make high-quality education more accessible and affordable for everyone.
Founded in 1932, and online since 1995, we’ve helped countless students reach their goals with flexible, career-focused programs. Our 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH is home to over 3,000 students, and we serve over 135,000 students online. Visit our about SNHU page to learn more about our mission, accreditations, leadership team, national recognitions and awards.