Yes, you’ve heard it before. The little things count and this is such an important principle that I want to delve into it some more, the reason being, I don’t think people give this enough credit and thought. It’s easy to look over the little things and that’s probably why so few people do them in the first place.
Most us tend to think it’s the big things that make a big difference and that’s true, don’t get me wrong, but when you trace the sequence of events that eventually led to that big opportunity, you’ll realize it’s the result of a lot of little things being done before that contributed to it.
What do I mean exactly by these little things?
You know exactly what I mean.
Going the extra inch, winning in the margins, doing one more thing – that’s what I’m talking about. Whatever goal you’re trying achieve, look to see where you can do the little things.
What happens then when we take into account the little things is that we begin to foster great habits. It becomes second nature to pay attention to detail, become disciplined, have an “improving” mindset, and develop the action habit of implementation.
Paying attention to detail. Probably the biggest misconception that people have with the whole “the little things count” bit is that they tend to mix up the order with this. They think they have to get the details down FIRST. What they don’t realize is that these little things count later on. If you’re so concerned with the little things that you don’t take time to make the big things work, then the little things don’t count at all. Their effects become entirely negated because you couldn’t take care of the larger issues at hand.
For example, if you’re lifting weights but have horrible form, it doesn’t matter if you push out an extra rep at the end because you’re not going to get the results you wanted. Your lack of proper form negates any benefits of going the extra rep.
It doesn’t matter what size font or color paper you use if your resume is blank. It doesn’t matter if you have the greatest customer service in the world if you can’t even ship your product to the customer.
Get the basics and foundation right FIRST. THEN the little things usually give you that extra effect you’re looking for. In other words, the little things should enhance what you’re already doing. Only then can you experience the magic that’s associated with doing the little things.
Discipline. If you’re disciplined enough to handle the big issues at hand, then having that extra bit of discipline to take over the small things really makes all the difference because it’s really easy to skip over the small things.
I’ll take care of that tomorrow.
They won’t notice if I don’t put that in the report.
I’ve done the requirements. That’s all I need.
When you let yourself slack on the little things, you’re climbing a very slippery slope because once you give yourself permission to slack off on these things, it’s hard to get back on the horse and worse off, its gets easy to slack off on the big things.
You would think it would be easy to do the little things, but few people actually do. It’s because it seems too easy that nobody ever does the little things and in turn, miss out on all the big opportunities that can ensue.
An improving mindset. This is a pretty rare habit nowadays. Most are content with the status quo and this habit alone of always improving is probably one of the best habits you will ever implement in your lifetime. If you take the proper view, not only will you execute the basics correctly, but you will start to build on your knowledge and experience of what the best “little things” are to look for and you may even start to find some new ones that you can add to your repertoire.
For example, you may find that one of the best “little things” you can do is write a handwritten thank you note and send it to the interviewer after you’ve had the job interview. By doing this, you separate yourself from the pack and show a little class at the same time. In a sea of sameness, something has got to stand out and when you do the little things, you WILL stand out.
You get the job, you learn more valuable skills, you get promoted, and you eventually land the job of your dreams – all traced back to that one little thing.
Habit of implementation. When you begin to notice the small things you can do and discipline yourself to follow through and execute them, you WILL see the benefits and that in turn will solidify all those habits just mentioned.
You’ll pay attention to detail, be disciplined, always seek to improve, and the floodgates of opportunity start to open.
I could give you a ton of examples, but I won’t because all you need to do is think back in your life.
Look at all the little things that you did and you’ll see the invisible trail that led to your big breaks.
Next time you’re tempted to skip over the little things, give yourself some pause.
You never know what lies ahead if you do the little things, but rest assured because you’ll always know it’’ll be something good that you never would’ve had before.
Knowing to take care of the big things first and following through on the little things second – you’ll find that’s the invisible last line of defense that separates the great from the good.
