Have you ever received an award for something? Was the occasion full of pomp and circumstance? Was there a glorious ceremony and massive audience applauding in adulation? Did you ascend the podium in regal garb and deliver a grandiloquent acceptance speech?

If you haven’t had that experience, it’s OK. Most of us receive an award only on rare occasions, if ever. And even then, it’s likely to be a more low-key affair. That said, awards and public recognition are nice, but what’s more important is achieving little victories for yourself once in a while. It’s not important for others to know about it. What matters is that you know you achieved something good and constructive.

A huge benefit of working out is the sense of victory you can attain. It’s hard to see yourself as a failure when you’re creating new challenges, hitting small milestones, and achieving big goals. It took me two and half years to achieve one of the goals I had in the gym, but along the way I never gave up and was always working on things that I knew would help me get me there. More than a feat of strength, I considered it a victory of willpower and persistence.

We all have a chance to achieve victory. Just keep in mind that a goal needs to be something that challenges you. You’re not going to feel victorious by achieving something that’s a cinch. It must be aspirational and require effort to accomplish. It needs to be a challenge you must overcome and not merely complete.

Victory is a powerful word. Implant it in your mind and let it echo. Then set a challenging goal, pursue it, and make victory a real thing for you. Those are your marching orders.

Sayonara until next time.