Focusing on achieving goals (wins) keeps us going!

Greetings from Bangkok, Thailand!

I wrote this in response to an article over at Get Rich Slowly. It had some lively comments which I added the majority of this post to. Writing my comment on the article sparked the idea for this post. Enjoy!

You win when you achieve a goal. It is a great feeling of accomplishment. Some are large goals such as paying of all debts and some small such as cutting your entertainment spending by $100 per month. Small wins add up to big ones. A "small" or "big" win does not have to be a dollar amount!

A win for me, no matter the size, is something that relieves stress, pushes me closer to my goals, and generally makes me happier. If we focus on working towards things that will make us truly happy then you will be constantly improving.

Examples:

1. I paid off the remaining $900 on a small loan early. I gained $50 a month in cash flow but more importantly the great feeling of paying off one of my debts completely. I am motivated to attack the next!

2. I worked really hard the past 2 quarters and as a result get 5 weeks off to go to Thailand. I leave next week! This doesn't involve money as much as quality of life and experiences/memories I will have forever!

3. I bought a foreclosed home and did the remodel myself (with family help). While this turned out to be a great financial investment I got a lot more from doing all the work myself and learning about home repairs and remodel. It gives you an entirely different perspective!

Achieving goals and feeling better about yourself and your life are the biggest wins you can have. It doesn't have to always involve money. In my book money is a means to get experiences we love, such as travel. Money is important but we cannot forget the non-financial aspects too!

What other big wins can you think of that don't necessarily involve money?