I always hear, especially from women in my life, that it’s all about the small things. It’s the little things that count the most. They are usually talking about the quality of a relationship when this comes up, but it is true for our goals in life as well.
A lot of times, ambition gets the best of us. We don’t want to take the time to make mistakes, learn and progress. Nope, we all want to be the best at something right away. No one likes to fail. In fact, most of the time, when we do fail, we tend to give up. That is because, once again, all we are seeing is the big picture. If we don’t fit that picture, we sometimes get frustrated and quit. However, we must remember that a big picture is a culmination of all the small details.
I am an avid NY Jets football fan. Two years ago, the Jets hired a brand new coach named Eric Mangini. I was very excited by this man’s work ethic and his take on the ultra-competitive NFL. Immediately, NY reporters were asking when he sees this team ready to make a playoff, maybe even a Super Bowl push. He said something I never forgot.
“We don’t worry about the playoffs or the Super Bowl.” Now a lot of coaches say that, but it is not true. This answer was different though. Mangini continued on that if the Jets worry about next year, next week, or even tomorrow, they won’t be able to accomplish their goals TODAY. Mangini explained that every player’s goal was to come out each day and just try to accomplish their daily goals to the best of their ability. The culmination of this hard work will payoff down the road. If you concentrate on the daily tasks, instead of concentrating on the big picture (in this case the Super Bowl), you will find success instead of always trying for it.
You don’t have to be a ripped 300 lb monster to appreciate this advice. I think this is great advice for anyone. We all have our big goals: to be rich, happy, or to be the best at something. Try to take it one step at a time, concentrating on doing your best to reach that goal each day. Eventually, before you know it, you will be at the pinnacle of that journey. It’s all about the little things each day. They are the fine details in that big picture we all have.
Without the proper little details, the big picture will never quite be done as we intended, or even done at all.
