Small Wins. Addressing the attitude of ingratitude.

The world has gone crazy. My life is insane right now. I haven’t been able to eat for 14 days now. Suffering with such severe abdominal pain. In the beginning I tried to force myself to have something but OMG… my digestive tract was angry. It threw a complete fit!!! Audible angry grumblings happened followed by the most incredible pain. I’m also adjusting to new chemo which has a warning for adverse side effects … so I have no appetite and severe nausea as well. The perfect storm. At 3am last night I was seriously considering going to ER but the Covid fear superceded that. So I had no way out but to take a strong sleeping tablet and just knock myself out.

I was speaking to a friend. A young woman with kids and a hubby. She has been going through some pretty hectic chemo. At first there was no clear diagnosis of where the cancer originated. She told me this week that it’s ovarian cancer. I just broke. She has been through so much and handles it with such grace, its inspiring. Last year they found a hole in hear heart and she had open heart surgery. I couldn’t imagine her petite little body going through this. I was amazed how she handled it. What a fighter.

Now she gets hit with Ovarian cancer. She is truly inspiring. How she is handling losing her hair, still being a mom and wife and no complaining. In fact I think she downplays how bad it actually is. She is concerned about ME! Today she is having a bad day post chemo infusion and still, she is bravely pressing on. Checking up on me. I know she will beat this she has proven that she is a warrior woman. It’s stage 4 which freaks me out but she calms me when I speak to her about it. I’m so inspired by her.

I looked at myself today in light of what she’s going through. I’m miserable because of my stomach and here is someone with Stage 4 Ovarian cancer handling it like a real fighter. It was a reminder for me. Keep pressing on. Keep it moving. I don’t have cancer and I’m so grateful for that. A small win. So when you feel your life is so affected by not being able to do things during Covid, remember there are people fighting for their lives. Makes you feel a bit guilty in this light right?

We really need to start looking for positives in this time filled with negativity and anxiety. We need to focus on small wins. Today my abdominal pain wasn’t as severe and that’s a small win. We need to be happy and celebrate our small wins.

Small wins means progress everyday toward your life goals. Seeing this progress keeps your motivation going.

Smalls wins can also be things like going shopping and finding no queues. Getting that item you really wanted and then finding it’s on sale. An online order that comes early. My friend bringing me a care package for my abdominal pain.

We neglect being happy about these little things when actually they are really important. If we say “Yay” for these little things it builds up to us being alot happier. Overlooking small wins and waiting for the lotto is not what you want to be doing. Damn that actually sounds depressing.

Have we developed an attitude of ingratitude? I’ve experienced and heard things that shocked me. I could not believe how ungrateful people are. If someone gives you something be happy and grateful and don’t say crap like “but I actually wanted”. That is just sickening to me.

As a society we are all suffering from Covid fatigue. I understand that. Believe me. I haven’t been to the shops in 3 months because I’m immunocompromised. I can’t go anywhere. Instead of being miserable about it I’ve found ways to not being a miserable cow. I’ve literally been sick for months because of wrong meds, changing meds. So yes, I shop online. Those little packages excite me. I am grateful for the days I can be active and not bedridden.

Let’s celebrate the small wins. Hey! You found some money in your pocket! That’s a small win! Celebrate it! If we continue to be grateful and happy about the small wins it all builds up and keeps our motivation going.

Reflection time. Do you have an attitude of ingratitude? Do you see it around you. How will you change your attitude to inspire others? What are the small wins in your life? Will you start celebrating it?

Perhaps we all need to keep a gratitude journal and journal your small wins or the things that you were felt grateful for that day. The fact that in this time you still have a job? I know it’s a tough thing to do but we need to consciously break free from our old thinking and embrace a culture of gratitude. A culture that celebrates small wins. Let’s consciously start doing this and spread this thinking and energy to others. If someone with Stage 4 cancer can do it what the hell is stopping us?

This post is dedicated to my friend who is battling a horrific disease, who has been through so much already but is taking this new fight on with grace and gusto. You really inspire me. I thought I was a fighter but today you reminded me to fight harder, to celebrate the small wins in my life.

She is truly an inspiration. Please send prayers, light and love into the universe for her. She is really inspiring and I hope this post resonates with you. Please leave a comment about what you are grateful for today.

You know I love to give you some resources/ further reading on the topic. I’ve gathered a few articles about celebrating your small wins. I hope they inspire you as well. Let’s all do better 💕

Focus on small wins for growth in your life

What is the importance of celebrating small wins