Have you ever looked back and realized you’ve had more wins than you gave yourself credit for?
As The Sweet Life approaches one year, I’ve had wins in the kitchen I barely acknowledged. Not because they didn’t matter, but because I was already onto the next thing.
It’s in those moments when we slow down and say, “You know what? In the middle of chasing the next thing, that was a win.” Sometimes the small wins are the most meaningful and impactful.
Why We Don’t Celebrate
We live in a society that normalizes constantly moving the goalpost. Looking to the next thing without fully appreciating how we even made it to the goal in the first place. We compare our journey to the next person’s. (I’ll admit—this is something I’ve gotten caught up in.) We minimize our wins, making them feel small when they were actually huge. We just failed to acknowledge them because we were already onto the next thing.
Some wins I thought were small? When I mentioned them to my friends, they told me they were huge.
The Wins
Being Paid for My Black Cake
One win I didn’t celebrate enough was being paid for my black cake by my aunt. Twice.
If you know anything about a Caribbean home, black cake is make or break. It means you’re either trusted with that bake or you’re not. And if the elders don’t like it, there’s no coming back.
So to have my aunt tell me not only that my cake was really good, but that she’d pay me for it, when I would’ve made it for her anyway? And then for her to order another one? I was shocked, unsure even. Because for the first time, my baking was validated in a way that felt different from just hearing “this is good.”
It shifted from “just baking” to something that held value. And I didn’t stop to let that sink in.
That moment needed to be a full celebration.
Family Asking for My Bakes Again
This is the win that surprises me the most. When family and friends make requests for a certain bake, or when I show up to a family get-together with my banana bread and everyone is looking for a piece, I take pride in that.
Knowing my family enjoys my baking and looks forward to it makes me feel accepted. And it’s a win I just haven’t taken enough time to really celebrate.
A Recipe Finally Working
This win is tied to those bakes you’ve failed at over and over; then it finally clicks. What was frustrating, what made you feel like quitting, somehow becomes a bake worth celebrating in a big way.
My bread recipe? I went through a 5 lb bag of flour before I got it right. I was fighting with flour at that point.
My coconut tart recipe? That dough worked every last bit of patience I had. But when it finally came together, I did a little dance. These were wins that deserved full moments, not just passing relief.
Trusting My Instincts
This is a win I don’t acknowledge enough: trusting my instincts when I’m testing or creating recipes. Learning how to break the rules a little without going too far. Pushing my skills and flavors.
Not just following instructions anymore, but knowing what feels right.
Sharing My Work Publicly
There’s always a win that really pushes you out of every comfort zone. In a Caribbean home, your biggest insecurity has a way of becoming your nickname. For me, sharing my baking publicly meant accepting judgment. Letting people into a part of my world that felt very sacred to me, but I knew I needed to share.
This is one of the wins I don’t really celebrate enough because how do you truly celebrate it? What I’ve learned is that the best way to celebrate it is by showing up every day and finding joy in it. Slowing down to celebrate all the other little wins. Stepping into a space where I’m proud of my baking, my brand, and helping others with theirs.
What I Realized
The small wins were never small; they were just uncelebrated.
Growth isn’t always loud. It’s in the quiet moments that aren’t immediately recognizable. It’s in those moments that build our confidence, stitch by stitch.
For a long time, I looked at success as the next thing to be accomplished instead of loving the moments when things went absolutely wrong, but that one thing made me smile. Real success? It comes from showing up, learning, and improving.
Every time I show up for myself as a baker and as a creator, I’m honoring the wins that got me here. The ones I almost missed because I was too busy looking ahead.
Pause and Acknowledge
So here’s my challenge to you and to me:
What’s a win you didn’t celebrate? In the kitchen? In life? What’s a win you can celebrate right now?
Before chasing the next thing, pause and give yourself credit. The small wins deserve just as much space as the big ones.
