Why Little Victories Matter in a Big Way - Christine Kane

Let’s say you’ve been intending more money in your life. And let’s say you created a vision board, you cleared clutter, and you stated new intents for wealth. And then, let’s say two months later, your aunt sends you a check for $150 out of the blue because she won some money when she visited Atlantic City last weekend.

What do you do with that?

Do you acknowledge it as part of your intent? Do you say, “Wow! How cool is that?” Or do you blow it off because it’s not big enough – or because – oh for Pete’s sake – it came from your Aunt Edna and one of her crazy trips to Atlantic City?

Would you believe me if I told you it’s crucial that you begin to acknowledge the slightest progress on your path? Can you see how the mere act of noticing “coincidences” leads to greater victories? Read on.

Coincidence or law of attraction in action?

A few years ago a friend who does feng-shui visited my record label office to help me clear and re-design the space after I had let go of an employee.

One of the many assigments she gave me was to choose some “symbol” of success and place it prominently in my office. She grilled me about that symbol. She said, “What about a Grammy award?” And I told her – in all honesty – that I don’t care that much about Grammy Awards. I added, “I like The Academy Awards better.” I told her that an external symbol of success would be an Academy Award for a song in a movie. She said, “Perfect!” We found a plastic Oscar for 10 bucks on eBay.

So, for two years now, my plastic Oscar has been sitting in my office on the IKEA cabinet.

Humorous Note: A friend saw my Oscar and said, “Ohmigod, did you win an Academy Award?!” I stared at him for a good long moment. Then I said, “It’s six inches tall. And it’s gold painted plastic. Do you REALLY think this is the same trophy that Julia Roberts has in her living room?”

I hadn’t thought much about my plastic Academy Award until this summer when I won a Telly Award for my DVD Live at the Diana Wortham Theatre. I’m not an awards kind of gal, and this is one of the first I’ve won. So, here’s the small victory: The Telly Awards are designed and created by the very same company that creates the Academy Awards. (And the Grammy awards.) Yesterday the award was delivered. It’s massive. It’s heavy. And it’s pretty, too! It stands majestically next to the six-inch Academy Award – which is now oddly majestic in its own plastic way.

Five reasons small victories matter

So, why would this kind of victory/coincidence matter? It’d be so easy to roll my eyes and say, “Yea well, it’s not an Academy Award. It’s a Telly Award. Who cares about that?” How many times do you block your own good because you won’t simply acknowledge it?

Here are 5 reasons why even the smallest victories in your process matter in a big way:

#1 – Because ALL of it – every single thing in your life – is about you.

Yes, it’s all an illusion. But it’s all your illusion. And so it’s all about you. If you don’t have money, then you have a fabulous opportunity to become a person who attracts it. If you feel rejected by men, then there’s an opportunity to heal the parts of you that create those feelings. The potential for growth is in all of your desires. And then, each little thing that shows up is actually an opening, a healing. How about that?

Bhagavan says it best in Arjuna Ardagh’s excellent book, Awakening Into Oneness,

You can materialize things; you can make them disappear. You can do anything you like because you are actually God, and you can create. People do not realize the power that they hold within themselves. Once you realize this, then it becomes child’s play.

#2 – Because when you notice small victories, you become a container for more.

Songwriters carry small notebooks so they can write down every little idea that shows up. The more you write down, the more ideas you get. You become a container where ideas get poured. You become that container by saying yes. You say yes by writing every idea down. Even the dumb ones. It’s the same thing with noticing small victories. You’re saying “yes.”

Similarly, when you turn away from your small victories, you say, “Oh stop it! I wanted it to show up how I wanted it. Not like this!” And you block the natural evolution of your intent.

#3 – Because attention is a form of gratitude. And gratitude attracts more.

#4 – Because knowing when to take action will be easier if you’ve practiced acknowledging what you’ve attracted.

A month after I intended abundance in my life, I came across a book on investing. Since I’m rarely drawn to books about investing or money, I took it as a nudge in a new direction. Fast forward a year and a half — my Roth IRA has increased by 30% because I digested and worked on the information in that book. I had to take action. But the paying attention part came first. I got good at noticing what showed up and then acting on it.

#5 – Because optimism expands and cynicism contracts.

Cellular biologist Bruce Lipton puts it this way: A cell is either growing or it is protecting itself. Growth stops when a cell contracts for protection. When that contraction becomes chronic, the cell dies. Cynicism is contraction. It’s a way of saying, “I won’t be open until you prove it.” It’s also a way of dying slowly. Instead of wasting your energy looking for proof, use your energy to expand into a more optimistic knowing place.

p.s. Takamine Guitars announced my Telly Award by posting a previously unreleased clip from the DVD. You can see it here.

22 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • Praveena Sagar

    hi Christine, I am so glad that you put across the need to acknowledge small victories to make way for the big ones. TY so much.

    luv
    PS

  • ChickiePam

    Hi Christine,
    Just look at your archives and you will see your book. Just a little arranging, and perhaps an edit here and there and Viola! (please pronounce that like the instrument and not the proper French way!) You are 90% there already. I’d buy it.

    Thanks for writing such wonderful thought provoking posts.

    Love and hugs,
    Pam

  • Shafiq

    Christine,

    I can’t express fully how amazing your blog is. All of your entries are treasures that I personally keep and read often, in fact almost every day. Your words are wonderful and positive and uplifting. And I certainly believe that they have helped countless all over the globe, including myself all the way in Malaysia.

    I hope that you will definitely keep on continuing doing all that you do, and I intend that you will achieve all that you want and seek and I the same.

    There are also certain other things that you’d maybe like to research: Cosmic Ordering, Genevieve Behrend, Catherine Ponder, among others.

    I have begun following all of your advice, and things have begun to manifest in ly life that have not been there before. Plenty of opportunities for wealth have come into my life and I am receiving a lot of positive feedback from everyone around me on how a different person that I have become.

    And a part of it would have to be because of you.

    Thank you so much Christine. Keep doing what you do.

    And you’re so gorgeous… wow

  • Christine Kane

    Thanks all for your kind words about books and songs! (I haven’t started a book. But I’m pondering it. It takes me a month to a year to write a song – so sheesh, I’d have to move a little faster!) sue – i love that einstein quote too!

  • Amy Crawley

    Christine,

    Congratulations on the Telly Award! That is wonderful. As often happens, your post is quite timely. I’m currently reading the book The Law of Attraction and last night I watched the movie The Secret. Both explain and discuss the power of attraction, visualization, paying attention, and receiving the gift. And I can also confirm that this approach to life does work. The more we pay attention to the little signs, the more goodness we bring into our lives. The nicer we are to people, the better we feel. Acknowledge the small victories and a bigger victory may be around the corner. The thing I finally realized that I was missing in all of this, however, were the feelings that go along with wanting our desires. We can wish for riches, fame, success, happiness; yet if we don’t visualize how we’ll feel when we attain our desire, we may never get what we desire. If you don’t feel it, it probably won’t come your way.

    Thank you again Christine for sharing your inspirational words. I’m paying attention to the little things now and celebrating the small victories and feel I’m on the right track.

  • Danny

    Thanks! I have been talking to my friends about appreciating small victories, quite a bit, recently. This is a GREAT illustration of the things I have been conveying and trying to incorporate all along?

    Something I have realized, and try to teach is this: Find a penny? Pick it up and appreciate that, while it may not be enough to buy anything, it symbolizes a flow coming to you–even if it is only a tiny trickle. Express gratitude for that flow, and watch what happens!

    The universe is WONDERFUL, so embrace all that it gives you!

  • Mindy

    Finding this blog today was no mistake. I heard one of your songs on the radio late last night (one I hadn’t heard before) and recalled your voice from a mix tape someone gave me years ago but I couldn’t remember your name…until this morning it came back to me. So I looked for your website and found your inspiring words in this site. This is exactly what I need to hear right now. Life has dealt me several hard blows in my love life this year but I keep getting up and moving forward – trying to keep my faith in love and miracles despite the obstacles and tendency for cynicism to set in. I might come to one of your workshops in the coming year. Thanks for sharing so much with us! And congratulations on your award. I love that song on the video. ~ Mindy

  • Kate

    I knew hopping over to read your blog this morning was a fabulous idea! I had been sulking that a small personal victory had not been the bigger one I hoped for — this was very timely reading. Mahalo!

  • Sue

    I love reading all of your posts and am grateful to you, Christine, for igniting the conversation with your wise and real words. I’m sending 2 quotes that remind me of this subject..well, ok, maybe 3..
    “There are only 2 ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
    “When your life is filled with the desire to see ‘holiness’ in everyday life, something magical happens: ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the very process of life begins to nourish you soul.” Rabbi Harold Kushner
    ” Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”Rumi

    I agree, in your spare time, a book would be great 🙂
    Sue

  • angela

    Yep I’d love a book to dip into – I’ve found this blog invaluable as I transition into self-employment and it’s the one blog I make a point of reading on a very regular basis. You could even self-publish Christine – I’m sure a lot of people who read this blog would buy it. Thanks for another great post.

    Angela 🙂

  • Joy

    ok. it’s time for a book, not just an e-book either. a real bound book of ink and paper and the wisest and wittiest of your posts. a book for all those who don’t read blogs, but do read books.

  • Christine Kane

    hi elizabeth – thanks for the great example there. and congrats. It seems like this “backdoor” approach to publicity and accomplishment just works for artist types a lot better than being pushy or sales-pitchy. i don’t know why. somehow it feels deeper, you know?

    thanks k-l! i’m convinced that learning how to negotiate and ask for what you want (refund on cell phone bills) is one of the biggest lessons in financial stuff. learning to negotiate fees, set prices, request refunds… lots of people just hope that these issues will just go away!

    thanks alina!

    hey deborah – good for you. and you may find that your goal of being represented by Image Bank shifts and changes (like many recording artists who realize they don’t actually want or need a record deal.) It sounds like you’re doing great!

    thanks dawn, km, and marina!

    cynthia – i worked with a coach for a year and a half in 2001 – and the very first thing he made me do was write 100 Accomplishments. It took a week for me to complete – and I didn’t even get all the way to 100! It’s a great exercise. thanks!

  • Cynthia Morris

    YES! Thanks for writing about the importance of acknowledging every small win. I’ve written about this in my newsletter and find myself coaching my clients on this all the time. I call it ‘Filling the Well’, tracking the abundance that comes our way. If we don’t notice this, we are never going to get where we want to go, because we’re always reaching for more. This is a vital key for happiness and success.
    I love Elizabeth’s story about the gray-haired press release. It’s so true that when we open to what shows up, even though it doesn’t look how we ordered it, magical things can happen. I’m reminded of Bjork’s song, All Is Full of Love, where she says, “You’ll be given love, maybe not from the sources you have poured yours, maybe not from the directions you are staring at.”
    Thanks, Christine, for inspiring me and others once again.

    Cynthia

    Cynthia Morris
    http://www.originalimpulse.com
    http://www.originalimpulseblog.com

  • Marina

    Thank you Christine, your posts are inspiring.

  • KM

    Thanks, Christine, and congratulations. I might benefit by keeping a Success Notebook alongside my Gratitude Notebook.

  • Dawn

    Hi,
    thanks for this post – you are sooo right. I think we all intuitively know this, but living it is the difficult part…. I needed to read this to remind me – that we have the power. I have just started reading your blogs…enjoying them very much.

  • Deborah Wolfe

    Thank you. I’m at midlife. If we live to be 100, I’m at midlife. So, I’m at midlife. Dammit. ‘Cause I say so. I’m starting over. I’ve been a professional photographer for the better part of the past 19 years or so. Lots of ups, downs, bumps in the road. I detoured years ago, off the path I truly wanted, because I didn’t have the courage to follow my heart, my dream. I’ve always wanted to be a commercial photographer. Instead, I became a portrait photographer who applied commercial principles to my work. Well, it’s not working anymore. The work has begun to dry up. Not because there’s a shortage of work, but because I’m not in alignment with being a portraitist. So. I’m starting all over. But guess what? I always wanted to be represented by Image Bank, home of one of my mentors-from-afar Nancy Brown. Well, Getty Images owns Image Bank. Getty Images also owns iStock. I’m represented by iStock. Therefore, I’m represented by Getty Images and in a round about way, Image Bank. So there. And that full time job I’m looking for to pay the bills while I make this transition? It’s my ticket UP. Thank you Christine. I appreciate you. I’m glad you’re on the planet at the same time I am.

  • alina

    Hey – I just want to thank for creating that blog and sharing your ideas. I came across your blog a few months ago and it’s been a great source of inspiration for me since then:)
    Alina (Poland)

  • K-L Masina | Creating consciousness, creating joy

    Hey Christine,

    Like many who read your blog, I sometimes feel like you’re speaking directly to me. Great reminders about not being attached to the way things show up… and celebrating the small successes on the road to abundance – like the refund I just negotiated on my cell phone bill.

    Much joy,
    KL
    ps. I’m assuming the trackbacks etc showed up and you already know, but your website was the lastest in my fortnightly series of spiritual blog reviews. http://www.klmasina.co.nz/2007/09/25/review-of-christine-kanes-blog/

    Much joy,
    KL

  • Elizabeth

    Hey – congratulations on the award! And your post is right on the mark for me today.

    Monday I got a call from a foundation executive, who had heard that members of a project I work on might need money so that we could afford to register all four of us at a conference where we are speaking. Rather than tell myself, oh, it’s only a ninety-dollar scholarship, I made a conscious shift and reframed the moment: “Isn’t that a great way to start the week? A foundation called me to offer money. Unsolicited.”

    And then later in the week I got an email from a newspaper reporter. Great, but not exactly what I’d hoped for. She had not seen the press release I’d sent around about a milestone on my blog (1000 days of drawing as of Monday, yay!). Instead, she was writing a story about baby-boom women who have gray hair. That’s me, though not necessarily the story I’d have thought to tell. But I thought, why not? So I called her back. We had a great conversation, about gray hair, and choices, and confidence – connecting in lots of ways, and by the end of our call we were in a place where it seemed natural to say, “You know, when I got your email I thought it was going to be about something else…” and then out came the story of my blog… She was intrigued, and may follow up with an article.

    Being open to the possibilities which are not an exact fit for a dream can take you steps closer anyhow, in ways you would not have predicted in the beginning.

  • brightfeather

    Allow me to express my gratitude for explaining the process so well. I really enjoyed this well written and well documented post.