small wins = BIG TRANSFORMATION
The Power of Small Wins: How Focused Efforts Drive Big Transformations
In 1997, when I was only about 15 years old I remember receiving a compliment from a friend of mine regarding my arms. Odd that I remember it from that long ago today, but I remember my friend asking “What do you do to get your arms that way?”. As young as we were, there was alot that neither of us really knew, but I responded “I do curls everyday while watching TV when I get home from school”? which is what was part of my daily routine everyday. I honestly didn’t think it was making a large difference doing it everyday, and really did it subconsciously since it was while I was watching TV. Habit: TV while at home from school = Action: curling weights. That compliment was a result of the micro actions that I was doing everyday as a teenager, and gave me the dopamine release that I needed that ended up leading to my fitness journey where I am today. One brick at a time, micro actions stacked with another habit, having a profound effect and impact.
When we think of success—whether in fitness, nutrition, mental health, or life in general—we often imagine grand milestones: hitting a major weight loss goal, running a marathon, eating perfectly clean for months, or experiencing a complete mental breakthrough. But the truth is, those outcomes are never the result of one single, massive action. They’re built from a consistent stack of small wins—those minor, everyday victories that might seem insignificant in the moment but compound over time to create powerful results. The more you narrow your focus, the better your output quality. Focus on your things ONE AT A TIME.
In the book Level Up by Rob Dial, he perfectly captures this principle:
“If you try to change everything at once, you’ll change nothing at all. But if you focus your energy and master one small thing at a time, your growth becomes unstoppable.”
Let’s break down why those small wins matter so much—and how they improve not just your long-term outcomes, but the quality of your daily life.
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Fitness: Reps of Discipline Over Bursts of Motivation
One of the most common reasons people give up on fitness routines is because they try to go too hard, too fast. They overhaul their entire schedule, push to hit the gym every single day, and burn out within a week. But lasting change doesn’t come from intensity—it comes from consistency.
A 10-minute walk every day might not feel like much. But string those walks together over 3 months, and you’ve not only built cardiovascular health—you’ve also built identity-based confidence. You begin to see yourself as someone who keeps promises to yourself, and that shifts everything.
Small Win Strategy: Start with something that’s too small to fail. Two sets of pushups. A short jog. One mobility session. Let the win fuel your next one.
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Nutrition: Micro-Changes Lead to Macro Impact
Diets often fail because they rely on extreme restriction. Instead of eliminating everything at once, focus on adding one healthy meal a day. Or simply drink more water before you change a single thing on your plate. These choices rewire your habits without overwhelming your brain’s reward system. I personally will tell myself that I need to complete drinking a half gallon on water prior to leaving for work after training in the gym. The dopamine from drinking that gallon and accomplishing my task is my little celebration for the smaller task at hand.
The truth is, better nutrition doesn’t require a radical shift—it requires a deliberate one. Each small improvement—swapping soda for water, adding greens to dinner, cooking at home one more day per week—builds a foundation that sustains itself.
Small Win Strategy: Pick one nutritional upgrade. Just one. Make it automatic before you move to the next.
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Mental Health: Narrowing Focus Reduces Anxiety
In the realm of mental health, overwhelm is the enemy. Trying to fix your mindset, improve your emotional regulation, and become more mindful all at once is a recipe for frustration.
But when you zoom in on one small area—say, journaling for 5 minutes in the morning or replacing one negative thought per day—you take back control. Focused attention becomes therapeutic. Instead of feeling scattered and defeated, you feel grounded and empowered.
I personally will review 1-3 affirmations about myself including things that I want to accomplish both short and long term goals by saying it out loud. This helps with positive feeling of self and subconsciously setting targets to achieve everyday.
Small Win Strategy: Choose one daily mental habit to protect your peace. Track it. Celebrate it.
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Better Quality of Life: The Compounding Effect
Keep in mind that 47% of what we do is subconscious and really just automatic. With this in mind, when you win in fitness, nutrition, or mental health, it naturally improves your overall quality of life. But the real magic happens when you allow those small wins to compound across categories. You sleep better because you moved today. You make smarter food choices because you slept better. You’re more patient with your family because your body and brain are better fueled. That’s not luck—that’s the ripple effect of narrow, focused effort.
The person who focuses deeply on one change wins 100 times more than the person who dabbles in ten.
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Final Thoughts: One Brick at a Time
The journey that both my family and I have gone through over the years is an accumulation of smaller steps that we take together. Not only with my fitness experience and history, but career progress and family progress. Think of your life as a wall. Each action you take is a brick. If you try to build the whole thing at once, you’ll burn out and abandon the process. You’ll also have some bricks break in the process as has happened with personal goals myself and my family has set to achieve st times. But if you lay one brick as perfectly as you can each day—just one—you’ll look up months from now and see something remarkable.
So don’t chase massive change. Chase small wins. That’s how you level up—for real.
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Need help identifying your next small win? Let’s start building, one brick at a time. Start with one area—fitness, nutrition, or mindset—and we’ll take it from there. www.nfe4all.com
Jay Johnson
