The Silent Victories: Why We Don’t Celebrate Our Small Successes

MJ Wynn
Mar 10
4 min read

Updated: May 25

Can we talk about something totally wild for a sec? 🤔 Like, the way we handle success is honestly kind of bizarre when you think about it. We're out here manifesting, grinding, setting those aesthetic Pinterest board goals—but the moment we actually crush it? We're like "whatever" and keep scrolling.

hits blunt "Yeah, I finally finished that project... but like, I probably should've done it last week."

"Sure, I reached that goal... but it's basically just bare minimum vibes."

"Kay, I made some progress... but isn't that literally just the assignment?" ✨

And boom—just like that, the moment floats away like smoke rings. No happy dance. No mirror selfie celebration. Not even a quick "period!!!" Just straight to the next thing on our to-do list.

But like... why are we like this though? 👀 Why do we have a whole Notes app dedicated to our "could do better" list but can't even gas ourselves up for five minutes? Why does it feel so uncomfy to just vibe for a sec and be like, okay but I actually ate that up though?

Success vs. Expectation: Why We're Being Such Haters to Ourselves

Honestly? I think we're kind of gaslighting ourselves about what counts as a win. We're out here acting like unless we're literally changing the world, it's just ~expected~ behavior. And when something's expected? We act like it deserves the same energy as a left swipe. 🙄

No but fr though—when was the last time you actually felt proud of yourself for something small?

Like, getting out of bed when your whole FYP is telling you to stay there? Finally answering that text that's been living rent-free in your anxiety for days? Finishing that thing that took approximately 47 years longer than your original timeline?

Instead of main character energy, we're serving guilt realness. Guilt for the struggle. Guilt for the procrastination era. Guilt for needing a minute to recenter before tackling the next thing.

It's giving very much "I only deserve to celebrate if I cure world hunger." Like, we've somehow convinced ourselves that unless we're literally breaking the internet, taking a moment to feel good is basically just being lazy. And if we pause to acknowledge our small Ws? Bestie, we're clearly not grinding hard enough. 💀

But I'm tired. You're tired. We're all tired. And this mindset is literally stealing our joy faster than a Mercury retrograde steals our sanity.

The Fear of Feeling 'Good Enough' (aka Main Character Syndrome's Evil Twin)

Here's another tea: we're lowkey scared that if we celebrate our mini victories, we'll suddenly transform into that person who peaks in high school. 🌟

We're really out here thinking that if we take two seconds to appreciate our progress, we'll suddenly lose all motivation and start posting inspirational quotes on LinkedIn.

That we'll get too cozy and trade our boss babe energy for permanent soft girl era.

But like... when does this cycle end though? If we keep moving the finish line like it's a dating app red flag, when do we actually get to feel like we did something worth celebrating?

Plot twist: acknowledging your wins doesn't mean you're settling for less. It doesn't mean you're about to ghostThe Silent Victories: Why We Don’t Celebrate Our Small Successes your goals. It just means you're allowing yourself to feel your feelings—to actually enjoy the journey instead of treating life like it's one long to-do list.

Because bestie, if we don't start celebrating these little moments, we're basically just running on a cosmic treadmill, forever chasing a happiness that's playing hard to get. 🏃‍♀️

Learning to Celebrate the 'Unimportant' Wins (aka Your Villain Origin Story Could Never)

So how do we fix this? How do we start actually noticing and vibing with the things we usually scroll past? 💭

I think it starts with a whole mindset reset about what deserves the trophy emoji. Not just the Instagram-worthy moments or the LinkedIn humble brags—but all those little daily Ws that keep us flowing.

Here's the energy we're claiming:

If something was hard af for you, but you did it anyway? That's queen behavior. Period. 👑
If you showed up for yourself today, even if it was just making your bed? We love this journey for you. ✨
If you made any kind of progress, even if it wasn't giving perfection? That's still iconic. 💅

Maybe it's time we start treating our wins like the main characters they are. Taking a moment to bask in that good energy before rushing to the next thing. Letting ourselves feel cute without immediately listing all the ways we could've served harder.

Because these little moments? They're not just giving filler episode. They're the whole series.

They're shaping our character arc. And if we don't learn to celebrate them now, we might spend our whole lives waiting for a season finale moment that's already happening in real time. 🌟

Here's to all the unsung slay moments and the tiny wins we scroll past. May we learn to celebrate our character development era just as hard as we manifest our glow ups. Because bestie? You're already that girl. ✨

🌷 Signed, MJ