{"id":46387,"date":"2021-08-29T10:48:52","date_gmt":"2021-08-29T14:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=46387"},"modified":"2021-08-29T20:07:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T00:07:42","slug":"celebrate-milestones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/celebrate-milestones\/","title":{"rendered":"Here Is Why You Should Celebrate Milestones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you create and celebrate milestones on the way toward a goal? How can celebrating small milestones help you speed up your progress? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you want to reach a distant goal or make a big change, setting and celebrating milestones along the way is critical to reaching the goal and making the change stick. These tactics work because they build emotional momentum and minimize the effort required to make change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about the impact of celebrating milestones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Minimize the Effort <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re working toward change, one of the most distracting factors is the possibility of instant gratification<\/a><\/em>. As soon as your emotional side senses an opportunity for gratification, it will head right toward it, regardless of what your rational side wants. To keep your emotional side moving in the right direction, minimize the effort by building small, achievable goals<\/a> into your path<\/a>. And, keep your emotional side\u2019s craving for gratification satisfied by celebrate milestones every step of the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only does this give you ample opportunity for gratification, but it also creates a crucial sense of confidence. <\/strong>Looking at a distant<\/em> goal from your starting point can make you feel discouraged: \u201cI\u2019ll never be able to run 10km. I can barely walk 2km now.\u201d On the other hand, small, frequent goals ensure that you\u2019re only looking at the very next step instead of impossibly far ahead. Each time you achieve a small goal, you become more confident you\u2019ll reach the next one: \u201cI\u2019ve done a five-minute jog every day this week. It\u2019ll be no problem to take on next week\u2019s seven-minute jogs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minimizing the effort required for a change creates a positive cycle of behaviors\u2014the more you accomplish, the more you feel you can take on. <\/strong>In this way, the emotional momentum behind change builds by itself. There are two methods for minimizing the effort of change: 1) emphasizing the progress already made, and 2) building in opportunities to celebrate milestones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method #1: Shorten the Distance to Your Goal<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A car wash company experimented to figure out how they could motivate their customers to use their loyalty cards more frequently, thus buying more car washes. They split their customers into two groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n