Celebrating Little Moments: The Beauty of Progress We Often Overlook

This morning, I was talking with my niece. She’s a young mother with a beautiful 18-month-old baby girl. They were both dressed nicely and getting ready to go to church. But just as they were about to leave, her daughter looked at her and said, “I did pupu.”

If you’ve ever been around little kids, you know what this means - she had already done it, not before asking! My niece laughed when telling me. She was happy that her daughter could talk and express herself, but she was also hoping the baby would ask before going.

She told me that when her daughter needs to pee, she now asks for the potty. That’s new and exciting progress. Just a few weeks ago, she used to do it in her clothes without saying anything. Now, she speaks up. That’s a small win!

Of course, as a mother, my niece is still hoping for the day when her child will ask for the potty every time - both for pee and poop. But even if that full success hasn’t happened yet, the baby has already made progress. And that’s something worth celebrating.

Isn’t this how we all live? We set ambitious goals: a dream job, a degree, a house, a healthier lifestyle, a big breakthrough in our relationships. But on our way there, we often downplay - or worse, completely ignore - the small wins that are part of the journey.

We get promoted and feel it’s still not enough because we’re not in the office we want yet. We lose 3 kgs but are disappointed because it’s not the 10 we planned. We publish a blog, finally, but fret over the views. We forget that small progress is still progress.

The baby may not have asked for the potty yet, but she communicated. That’s growth. That’s learning. That’s a moment to celebrate.

Why the Little Moments Matter

Celebrating small wins is not just a nice idea - it’s a powerful mindset shift. It keeps us motivated, fuels our confidence, and builds momentum. It reminds us that growth is rarely linear, and that mastery is born from baby steps, not giant leaps.

So today, whatever your “pupu moment” may be - whether it’s learning to speak up, starting that side project, getting through a hard day, or even just trying - acknowledge it. Celebrate it.

Because life isn’t made only of the big wins. It’s built from thousands of little moments like this one: a mother smiling at her child, not because everything is perfect yet, but because progress is happening - one tiny, beautiful step at a time.

Because every big goal is reached one little step at a time.