Not Celebrating Small Wins Is Killing Your Startup: 2 More Reasons For Founders To Pop That Champagne More Often
Taking time to bask in your short-term glory has been found to immensely impact our overall well-being by a Wahington State University study. This might sound foreign to early-stage startup founders who wear a badge of honor for always grinding 24/ 7 days a week with no time to spare for mundane things like patting yourself on the back. Personally, for the longest period, it was difficult for me to notice any strides made in my startup no matter how much progress I was making. Here is why you should avoid this trap
1. The human mind is designed to avoid behaviors that result in unpleasant behavior and do more of the ones that cause pleasure
Behavior reinforcement is a fundamental part of developing habits for human beings. People are averse to pain and drawn to pleasure. Whatever makes us feel good, we do more of it, and conversely, whatever makes us feel terrible we strive to avoid it. The feel-good chemical known as dopamine gets released each time we get excited. Though fleeting, the feeling can be sustained and prolonged by evoking it every so often. Taking a minute to savor your success regularly no matter how small will evoke dopamine more often thereby sustaining the feel-good factor about what you are working on and the progress you are making.
2. You risk missing the point and losing momentum
A founder’s job description is the hardest job on earth especially in early-stage startups where the founder is handling every aspect of operations. During this period, all eyes are on the price with the organization’s mission taking center stage. Everything else at this point seems to be minute and a means to an end. Thus small wins get overlooked. Over time, as a founder, you start feeling like you are not making any progress while in reality, you’ve made great strides thus far. If this goes unaddressed, it may lead to burnout and eventually lack of momentum.
Now that you know better, go ahead and start practicing the act of celebrating the small wins in your founder journey. If for nothing else at least get to flex a little and put a smile on the face of the most important component of this journey, you.
