Kind Words - Mindset Tip #6

Nurturing Creativity and Compassion in the Writer's Life

Photo Credit: Kayla Willis

Last week, we focused on giving ourselves permission to rest. This week, let’s take time to celebrate the small wins—a practice that’s not just rewarding but essential for rewiring our brains to support creativity. Our minds are naturally wired to focus on the negative—a survival instinct designed to keep us alert to potential threats. Positive moments, like completing a scene or discovering a great line, don’t stick as easily. Research shows that to truly shift our mindset, we need to let these positive moments “settle” by pausing to acknowledge and savor them. By celebrating even the smallest victories, we’re training our brains to notice progress, reinforcing motivation, and creating a stronger foundation for creative growth. It’s not just about feeling good in the moment; it’s about building lasting pathways to sustain your creative practice.

Celebrate Small Wins to Cultivate a Positive Mindset

Rather than focusing solely on big accomplishments, take a moment to recognize the small wins in your creative journey. Finished a paragraph that was giving you trouble? Celebrate it. Managed to capture a character’s voice just right? Take pride in it. These acknowledgments build momentum and foster a positive mindset.

Let’s Play: The Momentum Journal

Drawing from research on the power of celebrating small wins, this exercise is designed to help you acknowledge and amplify those moments of progress that often go unnoticed. At the end of each writing session, take a few minutes to reflect and complete these three prompts in a dedicated notebook or document:

1. What moved forward today?
   Write down one small win from your session—something you accomplished, solved, or even simply attempted. Be specific: "I revised a tricky sentence," or "I wrote for 20 minutes without distraction."

2. How did it feel?
   Describe how this progress made you feel, focusing on the positive emotions it sparked, such as satisfaction, pride, or relief. This helps cement the win in your memory.

3. What will this lead to?
   Think about how this small step contributes to the bigger picture. For example, "Fixing this scene clarified the character’s motivation," or "Writing today keeps my project on track."

Once a week, revisit your entries and highlight patterns or recurring wins. You’ll start to see the momentum you’re building, reinforcing a sense of progress and motivation. By intentionally documenting these small wins, you give yourself the gift of perspective—reminding yourself that growth happens one step at a time.

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I’d love to hear how this practice goes for you—feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Have a great week and Happy Writing!