I completely misunderstood momentum until that freezing January morning. Staring at my goals list – the same one I’d written and abandoned four times before – when it finally clicked. Those massive achievements I kept chasing weren’t the path to success. They were actually blocking it.
Momentum doesn’t start with big wins. It builds through tiny victories that compound.
Think about pushing a car that’s broken down. That initial push takes everything you’ve got, but once it starts rolling, maintaining that movement becomes easier. Our goals work exactly the same way – but most of us keep trying to sprint before we’ve even taken a step.
This is where the small wins strategy transforms everything. It’s not just a cute motivational tactic. It’s science-backed psychology that rewires your brain for persistence and creates unstoppable momentum, especially when you’re facing your toughest challenges.
The Momentum Trap We All Fall Into
Let’s be honest about something. We’re addicted to the fantasy of overnight transformation.
We read about the entrepreneur who built a million-dollar business in 12 months. The person who lost 100 pounds in a year. The artist who went from unknown to famous after one viral creation.
These stories are EVERYWHERE. And they’re destroying our ability to persist through challenges.
Why? Because they make us believe that real progress happens in dramatic leaps rather than consistent small steps. When we don’t see massive results quickly, we assume something’s wrong. With our approach. With our talent. With us.
I spent three years starting and stopping the same projects, wondering why I couldn’t maintain momentum. I’d begin each one with incredible enthusiasm, putting in 12-hour days, completely convinced that THIS time I’d breakthrough.
Then reality would hit. Progress would slow. Obstacles would appear. And I’d abandon everything, convinced I needed a new goal, a new approach, or maybe just more willpower.
Sound familiar?
Why Small Wins Actually Rewire Your Brain
The small wins strategy isn’t just motivational fluff – it’s based on how your brain actually functions.
Every time you complete something – literally anything – your brain releases a small dose of dopamine. This chemical creates a feeling of satisfaction and reinforces whatever behavior led to that reward.
When you set enormous goals with no clear milestones, your brain rarely gets this chemical reward. You’re constantly working without your brain ever registering progress. Eventually, your motivation system simply shuts down.
But here’s where it gets really interesting. Studies in behavioral psychology have found that the frequency of successes matters far more than their size when building momentum.
Ten small wins create more sustainable momentum than one big win.
Think about it – which person is more likely to maintain their exercise habit?
Person A: Sets a goal to run a marathon, trains intensely for 6 months, completes it, then feels done Person B: Sets a goal to walk 10 minutes daily, celebrates each day they do it, and gradually extends the time
Person B is creating a neural pathway of consistent success, while Person A is creating a pattern of massive effort followed by massive letdown.
Turn Any Giant Goal into a Small Wins Strategy
Real talk – I used to roll my eyes at advice about “breaking things down” and “celebrating small wins.” It seemed so basic, almost condescending.
But that’s before I understood the psychology behind it and saw just how drastically it changed my results.
So here’s how to actually implement the small wins strategy with any goal:
1. Take your big goal and identify what I call the “invisible steps” – all the tiny actions that eventually lead to the result. Most people only see the final outcome, not the hundred steps that created it.
2. Make these steps ridiculously small. I mean embarrassingly small. If you want to write a book, don’t make “write a chapter” your small win. Make “write one paragraph” or even “write for 5 minutes” your win. When you’re building momentum, the size of the step matters less than the consistency of taking steps.
3. Track these wins physically. Your mind will discount them unless you make them visible. Use a calendar, a journal, an app – something where you can see your progress accumulating.
4. Celebrate completion, not perfection. Did you do the small step? That’s a win, regardless of how good it was. Early momentum building is about action, not quality.
5. Stack your wins strategically. Each small win should naturally lead to the next one. This creates what psychology researchers call a “success spiral” where momentum actually builds upon itself.
One of our members – let’s call her Marie – was stuck for years trying to build an online business. She kept creating elaborate business plans and then abandoning them when they seemed too overwhelming.
When she switched to a small wins strategy, she set just one goal: contact one potential client every day. That’s it. Some days she’d do more, but she never did less. Within three months, she had gained more traction than in the previous three years combined.
When You Feel Resistance, Go Even Smaller
Sometimes you’ll hit a wall with your small wins strategy. You’ll find yourself procrastinating even on the small steps.
This is actually normal – and it’s not a sign of failure. It’s just your brain’s way of telling you that the steps still feel too big or threatening.
The solution? Go even smaller.
I remember working with someone who wanted to start meditating daily. They kept procrastinating on their goal of “meditate for 10 minutes.” When they switched to “sit on the meditation cushion for 1 minute,” suddenly the resistance disappeared.
This might seem ridiculous – how can sitting on a cushion for 1 minute make any difference? But it’s not about the immediate impact of that tiny action. It’s about removing the psychological barriers to beginning.
The smallest actions often create the biggest momentum because they bypass your brain’s resistance entirely.
The Compound Effect of Tiny Progress
One of the most powerful aspects of the small wins strategy is something we rarely consider: compound momentum.
Just like compound interest in finance, small wins create returns that themselves generate more returns.
When you achieve a small win, you gain:
– A boost in confidence that spills over into other areas – Evidence that you’re the kind of person who follows through – Increased skill in whatever you’re practicing – A stronger neural pathway for that specific behavior – A physical record of progress that motivates future action
Each of these benefits then makes your next small win more likely and more impactful. This is how seemingly insignificant actions eventually create massive change.
Remember: momentum isn’t just about movement – it’s about movement that builds upon itself.
Stop Waiting for the Big Moment
The greatest shift happens when you stop waiting for some magical moment of transformation and instead embrace the power of tiny progress.
Look, we all love the highlight reel moments. The breakthrough. The finish line. The standing ovation.
But true unstoppable progress doesn’t happen in those moments. It happens in the quiet, often invisible moments when you choose to take one small step forward despite not feeling any immediate reward.
Take one ridiculously small step today. Then another tomorrow. Before you know it, you’ll have built a momentum that carries you through any challenge.
Because ultimately, persistence isn’t about grand gestures or heroic efforts. It’s about showing up consistently for the smallest actions that, over time, create unstoppable momentum.