Big Wins Come from Small Actions

Feeling stuck with slow progress? Remember, every small win matters!  Let's dive into the science of small victories and celebrate the journey together.

Unlock the Power of Small Wins: Transform Your Health and Wellbeing

In this episode, Juli Reynolds, nurse coach and aromatherapist, discusses the transformative power of small, consistent actions on your health, energy levels, and overall wellbeing. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing and celebrating small wins as they compound into significant, lasting changes over time. Juli shares insights from behavioral science and personal experiences, offering practical steps and encouragement for those feeling stuck or frustrated by slow progress. If you're seeking a sustainable path to personal growth and success, this episode is for you.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

01:55 The Power of Small Wins

04:07 Real-Life Examples and Personal Journey

05:19 The Science Behind Small Actions

09:53 Invitation to Join the Yes Society

11:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Transcript

0:59

welcome to another extraordinary week. if you've ever felt stuck or frustrated by slower progress than what you've wanted in your health or energy levels or overall wellbeing, you're not alone. And we often want big transformations. Do we wanna lose weight, we wanna lower our blood pressure, sleep better, feel more vibrant, start that business, all the things. But the winds don't happen overnight, And the truth is that lasting change comes from all of those little things that you do every day. It's not one dramatic shift, but a series of small, consistent actions that. That add up over time. if you've been struggling alone and you've been struggling with the slow progress or feeling like you're not making a difference, that you're not getting your goals, then this episode is for you I am Julie Reynolds, nurse coach and aromatherapist and I'm honored to be on this journey with you. when I started this podcast, I had in mind my coaching clients, my friends, my, the, my colleagues and I Still, every episode is created out of those conversations that happen. but along with that, if I'm honest, A lot of these episodes are really therapy for me. They're my own research into, um, obstacles that I've faced, challenges that I am, that I am navigating. So I'm honored that you're here and sharing this experience with me. So I like to dive into the science that helps me to know, first of all, that with a topic is heavily researched and we have experts speaking on the topic and writing books about the topic. And I know that. For one thing, it's very affirming, you know that you're not alone. This is something that is very normal part of our journey. So I wanna talk about the neuroscience of small wins today. So this is a topic of conversation in the Yes society, in the coaching group about the wins. Every week I ask the group to share their wins a lot of times I'll ask my friends, you know, what are you excited about this week? What are you celebrating? What win can I celebrate with you? And. A lot of times we have a hard time identifying and, recognize those wins as really being significant. we might downplay some of those experiences and or label them as slow progress, or, I am not, it's not turning out the way I want to. These things are taking longer. It's not working. not like everyone else who's getting all of these victories. And a lot of that has to do with comparison because, you know, honestly, We have a tendency to focus on the highlight reels of those around us or be able to even, to be able to be, to recognize the accomplishments of others a little bit more readily than we can with ourselves. Our brain is wired for progress, not perfection. Every time you take a small positive action like drinking more water, stretching in the morning, or swapping out processed food for something more nourishing. Your brain releases dopamine. It's a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good and reinforces that habit. Dr. Fog, a leading behavioral scientist at Stanford, teaches that success starts with tiny habits. There's a book on it. Um, if this is something that really resonates with you, that's, it's a good read. Just highlighting when you make small, achievable changes, you can create some momentum. Even a five minute walk today turns into a 20 minute walk next month. Adding one vegetable to your plate today shifts your entire eating pattern over time. Small wins don't just improve health, though they rewire your identity, you start to see yourself as someone who takes care of their body and prioritizes wellbeing. I would say probably a year and a half ago. I, I remember when I first started with my first coach and what I wanted to be coached on and focus on was moving my body more. I didn't enjoy exercise. I don't enjoy going to the gym. Getting myself, there was a challenge and I wanted to overcome that obstacle in a way that would at least get me going and get me doing it. I would say that all these years later, those small things, taking a 10 minute walk, deciding when I got home just to walk to the end of the block and back, just those small steps created that shift in me and. To where now I actually look forward to going on my walks. I'm seeing the benefits and really enjoy it. Do long walks several times a week, which I just never, uh, which I wasn't doing at the time, and now it's just built into my routine. So I can see those things over time really changing. And that's that power of compounding in your health or any goals? Actually, it's really easy for us to dismiss small actions because they don't get immediate results. But the science of compounding tells us that tiny improvements repeated daily, create that exponential change in. Atomic Habits by James Clear. He explains that if you improve by just 1% every day, you'll be 38 times better in a year. And we can see this as it applies directly to health in that one night of better sleep doesn't change everything, but consistently improving your sleep routine transforms your energy over time. One healthy meal doesn't solve inflammation, but daily nourishing choices will heal your body. One session of deep breathing. Although I teach, I teach deep breathing and breathing techniques, uh, to, especially to my patients. And while one session of deep breathing isn't going to lower chronic stress, it helps in the moment and you can see that benefit. It's a quick win. And then regular breath work can actually reset your nervous system. The key is to focus on process. And progress, not just the outcome. Instead of fixating on losing 20 pounds, commit to small daily wins, like drinking more water, moving more, eating whole foods. these are wins that will build on each other. And then suddenly transformation is undeniable and you're sharing the big win as if it happened overnight. imagine if you're struggling with high blood pressure, you don't just wake up one day with perfect numbers just because you. Decided to get healthier. Instead, taking those small sustainable HA habits, like swapping out a daily soda for an herbal tea, taking a 10 minute walk after dinner, practicing five minutes of breath work before bed, choosing whole foods over processed options. Maybe not all at once, but maybe that just gradually, just one, one choice at a time. None of these ever seem life changing on their own, and we can even feel defeated when we do that. That's where I wanna go with our mindset is to celebrate that 10 minutes. To take hold of that to, to really identify who you're becoming, because your brain is gonna look for more of that, that when it feels rewarded, and a 10 minute walk after dinner is going to give you that dopamine hit, and you're gonna wanna do more of that if you just. Especially if you acknowledge it and you celebrate it, and you allow yourself to really focus on that and who you're wanting to become, because your brain will then go actively looking for more of that, give you more ideas and more prompts, and that is when it's, that's when real change happens. So the real secret to feeling vibrant and strong is not waiting for that perfect moment. It's about stacking small wins and trusting the process. Staying consistent, even when you don't see immediate results. This really applies in every area of our lives. When we watch someone cross the finish line. hit a goal weight, they publish a book. They are landing a dream client, whatever it is, whatever arena that you're looking evaluating yourself in these days, what we don't see is those thousands of small steps that led to that moment. and again. The truth is that big wins don't happen in an instant. They are the result of consistent small actions. If you wanna write a book, it's one page, sometimes it's one word, one page, one chapter at a time, and over time you get a book and then there's more work and getting it out there. So by the time we see something, a book that hits the New York Times bestseller, there's lots of steps and lots of work and years of. Progress going on behind the scenes that we are not looking at. So let's honor ourselves and honor the process in our own lives and keep saying yes to those next small wins. Because really the secret to of feeling vibrant and strong is not waiting for that perfect moment. It's about stacking those small wins and trusting the process, staying consistent, even when you don't see immediate results. That's where the real work takes place. That's where the real yes to you happens. Every choice compounds and every action builds that momentum. if you're on this journey and you're starting to feel alone in it, you are feeling like you're struggling even to know what those little steps should be to make sure that those little steps are the right steps to make towards your bigger goal. Maybe you're getting unclear, getting in the weeds of all of those small things and. not sure whether you're progressing in the way that you really want to. If you're getting up every, every day fighting for you, fighting for your health, fighting for your dreams, and you're feeling alone, I'd like to invite you just to schedule a call with me and we'll sort this out. We'll get you pointed in the right direction with a good strategy of all the little things that will add up to your big win. I'd love to chat with you, see what you're creating, and. Keep the yes society in mind, because that is a powerful group of individuals who are really getting the breakthroughs that we all want to have. And it's fun to see the process and then celebrate those small wins along the way, and then that will lead eventually to those big wins. And is pretty powerful to be on that journey with others and to know that you're not alone. As I do every quarter, I am opening some spots in that community right now so I'd love to talk to you about that. and see if that would be a good fit for you. regardless that coaching call that I'm offering you is free. And on that call, we'll design a strategy for making sure that you are moving forward in the way that you really want to. Taking those small steps that lead to big wins and knowing that they are the foundation of lasting transformation. Until next time, remember that every small win Every 1% improvement, every bit of progress that you make, you're setting yourself up for success. You're setting yourself up for the big win as you go out every day and default to yes, yes to your health, yes to your energy, yes to your dreams, yes to your extraordinary self.