How Focusing on Small Things Can Make a Big Difference in Your Life

It’s easy to get caught up in the big life-changing moments that are affecting us, and rationalize their impact on everything else that is happening around us.

But it’s the small things that have the biggest effect in the direction our lives take.

Think of yourself as the small snowball being rolled down the hill, getting bigger and stronger as it picks up momentum, until it is one huge boulder breaking down trees.

That entire process started with the act of creating a single snowball in the palm of your hand.

Don’t Get Too Caught Up In The Big Things

It’s easy to get caught up in the big things in our life.

For example: the team you are coaching that has blown a three-goal lead loses by four when all is said and done.

The easy response is to get mad at the team at how this could have happened.

But the harder, more difficult response is to ask them WHAT happened and WHAT we can do next to make it better.

The small things are the players, what went wrong, what happened, and what we will do for the next time.

The big thing is the loss.

But any good coach will tell you, that it’s now history.

It’s over and it’s time to focus on what’s next.

Focusing on the small things, taking those actions, has a direct correlation to long-term thinking.

Big Things Come from Small Strides

Any big change in your life is NOT the result of one big stride.

You don’t say you are going to lose weight and then have the weight shed off of you.

No, it takes the smaller actions of eating well, exercising, purging bad behaviors – all small actions that when taken on their own might not amount to a big change in your life.

But when taken together in small steps, they will contribute towards a larger goal.

These small things put the goal within reach and make it attainable.

Small strides make change inevitable.

People Remember the Small Things

Everyone knows what happened on Christmas and your birthday – they are big events that get celebrated with incredible fanfare.

But what about all those small interactions that you encountered throughout the year?

Like when someone bought you coffee when you were down, when you reached out to someone for a listening ear, or when someone took the time to go for a walk with you to work out a problem?

Which ones had the biggest impact?

The small cup of coffee, OR the fanfare of Christmas?

Rinse and Repeat

If you want to make a big difference in your life, focus on the small things: the relationships, the people, the interactions, the handshakes, the smiles.

It’s the tiniest of things that can make the biggest difference in someone’s life.

Singular grand gestures do not yield the same return on investment as the steady investment in daily actions and commitment to consistent change.

If you have a big problem in front of you, or a big change you want to make, start small.

Master the small, than move onto the next step and do the same thing again.

One year from now, take stock of how far you have come, what you have achieved, and where you are going.

Would you have been able to accomplish that in one big gesture?

Would it have made the same level of difference?

I doubt it.

Focus on the small things – for your actions will lead to the big differences.

From there, the change you want to see happen in your life will happen.