Win Big by Winning Small

We live in a culture that worships the buzzer-beater. We love the story of the massive exit, the overnight celebrity, or the sudden windfall. But the reality of the grind is that these moments are the exception, not the rule. If you only allow yourself to feel successful when you hit a home run, you are going to spend 99% of your life feeling like a failure.

The "beauty of the grind" is actually found in the small wins. It is like a soccer team down 2-0 that scores a single goal. They celebrate wildly, not because they won the game, but because that goal represents hope, potential, and a shift in momentum. That energy is what allows you to keep playing.

The Psychology of Momentum

Most people don't fail because their goals are too ambitious. They fail because they quit the moment they face resistance.

I remember my first time in the gym. I looked at people lifting 225 lbs and thought, "I can do that." I got under the bench press, and the weight nearly crushed me. I had to strip the bar down to 95 lbs just to complete a rep. It was humbling. But I made a pact with myself: I would come in every day and try to get just one more rep than the day before.

When I finally lifted 135 lbs, people looked at me like, "So what?" But to me, I was messing with the big boys. That small win changed my self-image. It proved I could change my reality through effort. Tiny progress, stacked daily, becomes unstoppable growth.

Mastery Through Structure

This principle applies to professional skills just as much as physical ones. In dentistry, dental school gives you three hours to prep a crown. In the real world, you don't have that luxury.

I remember watching a mentor prep a crown in five minutes. I didn't believe it was possible. But I didn't try to jump from one hour to five minutes overnight. I aimed for a 12-minute crown. Once I hit that, I aimed for seven. I had my assistant time me. I became obsessed with the efficiency of every movement.

Eventually, I got to a point where I could do 22 crowns in a morning and still have time for coffee. That level of efficiency didn't come from magic; it came from decisive repetition. As a friend told us, "What gets structured gets repeated. What gets repeated builds mastery".

Leading Through The Grind

If you are a leader, this mindset is critical for your team. You cannot expect your employees to possess your level of drive, it is not their company. If you only celebrate the year-end targets, they will lose steam in February.

You have to validate their daily grind. Did they handle a difficult client well? Did they execute a meeting without your help? Celebrate those moments. It tells them that their effort is seen and valued. It reminds them that they are making progress, even when the finish line is out of sight.

The Takeaway

Don't let the distance to your goal discourage you. Break it down. Structure your days to achieve small, tangible victories. Celebrate them. These aren't just participation trophies; they are the evidence that you are becoming the person capable of the big win.

Watch the full episode at https://youtu.be/H-5w12Oj5zc..

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