Small Victories

Have you ever been discouraged?  Like, to the point where you question every decision you've ever made and wonder if it was the right one?  Maybe after a good night's sleep, you decided things are going to be okay.  Maybe you wrote down your thoughts and stored them for a rainy day.  Or, perhaps you downed a carton of ice cream and realized, life isn't so strange after all.  I like the third option best, personally!

But seriously...

Ya know those days were you just want to be amazing and do amazing things, and then the dishwasher breaks and you're right back to feeling like there's no way you'll ever reach AWESOME when all these stupid little things keep popping up!  That's been the case for me lately.

For so long now, I've been dreaming these big dreams about major life choices.  I want to write a book, I want to be a public speaker, I want to organize the coat closet, I want to run a 10k, I want to be recognized for being the change I wish to see in this world...I want to do this and that and this and that!  I have so many goals and wishes and dreams, that I become overwhelmed.  I mean really, Mother Teresa did not change the world over night, right?!  Why do I think I can do better?!

I have a favorite tv show-Parenthood (Tuesday Nights on NBC).  Long story short, I love it for the topics it addresses and the way it brings taboo topics to the forefront.  If you're not a Parenthood fan (Shame on you!), the show is about a group of siblings and their families (along with their conveniently wealthy and supportive parents) and how they cope with big life issues.  The particular episode I'm thinking of goes a little something like this...One of the family members is currently struggling with Breast Cancer and the affects of Chemo all while helping her adolescent son with Asperger's Syndrome understand why it is important to shower regularly.  At the end of the episode, the son is seen in a bath towel, fresh from the shower and asking his father to borrow some deodorant.  The mother looks at her husband and says, "Small Victories...Small Victories".

This episode stuck with me because it really put things in perspective!  First of all, I am again reminded of how lucky I am to be alive and have the people in my life that I love.  But also, I realized just how much even the little things matter.  If you're a Religious person, you might have heard the Parable of the Mustard Seed that reminds us that even the smallest of seeds becomes the greatest of trees!  In other words, even the smallest effort to achieve is a step in the right direction toward becoming successful.

So, tonight...instead of thinking about all the things that got in the way of me changing the world; I'm going to consider the small victories that happened for me today...like, getting both kids in bed by 8pm while my husband is coaching Basketball...or giving one of my counseling students the tools he needed to express his frustration in a positive way...and buying a friend a coffee--just to let her know I was thinking of her.  And even though I didn't conquer all of my goals...I will not allow myself to feel discouraged.  I will be the change...one step at a time. 



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