Not every day is a wedding day, so what are the small goals that keep the needle moving forward? Karen Gantzer, associate publisher of Heat Treat Today, leans into this idea in her column about celebrating the "small wins" even as we rejoice in the grand moments of life.
This article first appeared in Heat Treat Today's May 2022 Induction Heating print edition. Feel free to contact Karen Gantzer at karen@heattreattoday.com if you have a question, comment, or any editorial contribution you’d like to submit.
Associate Publisher
Heat Treat Today
Our youngest son will be getting married in two weeks and our third grandson is due to make his entry into the family in mid-May. These are huge celebrations to be sure, and Team Gantzer is excitedly anticipating these life-changing events with great joy.
I’m sure we can all recall those worthy milestones that we recognized with the appropriate amount of fanfare and recognition. These celebrations are not only fun for the honorees but are also special for those doing the honoring. For the graduate or the one getting promoted, it’s an occasion to highlight the “how” and the “why” of the accolade. For the bride and groom, it’s the collective community sharing in the joy of love and family. The newborn child is representative of life and hope. And the celebration of a life well lived inspires us remaining to cherish each day, pivot if we need to, and look for the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.
These remarkable celebrations, though, have been paved with small nondescript victories — victories that may have come at a cost. But do we celebrate those small wins? Or ignore them because they’re not the prominent ones?
We surely don’t want to get into the mentality of the “participation trophy” that diminishes excellence and winners by celebrating every little jot and tittle of a project. But what about those rhythms that help to move the needle forward, whether it be the breakthrough in a particular relationship that was inhibiting growth or fine tuning a habit that needed attention and now will aid, instead of hinder, production? Don’t those deserve a happy dance, too?
Lately, I have been thinking of those small steps needed to make the big goals — earthly and spiritual — a reality and full of impact for not only ourselves, but also for others. It was a tribute, written by a granddaughter to the legacy of her Jesus-loving grandfather who recently passed away that gave me pause to consider how important the small things are in the journey. Here is a brief excerpt by Raechel Myers about Richard Pennington: “The legacy he leaves is the one I hope to someday leave as well: he was a man whose life and rhythms were shaped around his relationship with Christ. Certain things were fixed in his days and weeks and everything else had to earn its way in.”
“[And] everything else had to earn its way in.” I have read and re-read her tribute many times and I keep coming back to this one part. What/who is shaping my life? What things are fixed? And what is already in my life that should have had to earn its way in?
The answers to these questions are important as we set goals and prepare for success. Whether it’s a business or personal goal, remember to assess the small wins along the way and celebrate them as heartily as the major ones, for they bring life and contribute to a rich legacy.
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