Small steps worth noticing
People are used to measuring their lives by big achievements. Getting their dream job, graduating, buying their own home, starting a family, or implementing an important project. It seems that these are the moments that define success and give them the right to say, "Well done."
But months and sometimes years pass between such events. If you wait only for great victories, you can constantly feel as if nothing important is happening. This is especially noticeable in times of war, when many plans have to be postponed, and life often does not turn out as you would like.
You may not notice it, but it's already an achievement: getting out of bed on time after a sleepless night due to an air alarm, answering an important call, completing a work task, going for a walk, or cooking dinner, even though you had almost no energy to do it all.
Tracking your progress is not only important for your self-esteem, but also for your mental health. When you notice even small successes, your brain receives a signal: "I'm doing well," which strengthens your sense of control, helps you stay motivated, and gradually moves forward.
This is especially important to remember when you are going through a difficult period. After a loss, forced relocation, chronic stress, or emotional exhaustion, even the smallest actions can require enormous internal resources, and if today you managed to do something that you lacked strength for yesterday, that is something to be proud of.
Small victories don't always feel like something truly worthwhile. You can often devalue your own steps by comparing yourself to others. Someone has already started a business, earned a degree, or moved to another country, and you're just trying to get your routine in order, but this comparison is unfair. Everyone has different experiences, different circumstances. What seems simple to one person may be a real victory for another.
It is equally important to allow yourself to look back. People are used to looking only at how far they still have to go, and they hardly notice how far they have already traveled.
Think back to a few months ago. Maybe you were afraid to take the first step, but today you are solving completely different problems. These changes did not happen suddenly. They became possible thanks to many small decisions that you made every day.
Therefore, today it is worth asking yourself not only: “What have I not yet achieved or achieved?”, but: “What have I already achieved?” Perhaps the answer to this question will be much more important.
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This article was made possible by the support of the Norwegian people through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway (MFA of Norway) within the framework of the project “Building a Gender-Inclusive Recovery with the Women’s Movement of Ukraine” (GEN-Recovery). Responsibility for the content of the information lies with the NGO “La Strada-Ukraine”. The information presented in this article does not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway or the Government of Norway.
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