Little goes a long way

Don’t forget about the small things throughout the day! Step back from trying to do the big things so much. It’s much more difficult to do so more than you think.

Look how big trees got to where they are. They started with a small, little seed. Matter of fact, look how you came about. A powerful, complex individual came about from a seed our physical eyes cannot even see.

What happens is when we place our focus on what we consider important things, somewhere along the way—the inconspicuous (overlooked) ones get left behind. If it’s too hard to tell, eventually these little overlooked things tend to pile up and cause us to flop right on our face.

The $500 Example

Let me give you an example in the area of money. You got $500 to spend. You owe $350 in bills this Friday.

Throughout the day you get hungry and spend a few bucks on a burrito and drink. Then it happens again the next day.

Uh oh, your cousin calls asking to borrow $50. In the back of your head you’re thinking… ahh I got $150—I can do it. So you let your cousin borrow the money.

The rest of the week plays out with the same little spendings as the days prior. Friday comes and you go to pay, then “bam”—you’re short!

You ask yourself, where did I go wrong? Turns out after you added all the little things, you ended up $180 short! You let your guard down!

The Starting Step

If you ask yourself, “Ok, how can I start focusing on the little things?” then you’ll find yourself restructuring your priorities, meaning that you put all of your responsibilities before you on an even and clean slate.

That’s the beginning step. Let’s put everything before us with the same priority. I’m not saying “this” is greater than “that” or any lesser either. I’m simply encouraging you to consider the things you would normally dismiss.

The Tortoise and the Hare

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. If not, I’ll do a quick refresher. A rabbit mocked a turtle and challenged him to a foot race.

Every-got-darn-body knew who was gonna win. Even my future granddaughter’s nephew knew who would win… but the turtle had something in him most of us miss.

The hare got distracted while he was far ahead, but the turtle kept his small, little steps serious. Next thing you know, the hare was so far advanced that he fell asleep because he let his confidence get the best of him (wink-wink), and the turtle ended up beating him!

The unimaginable happened!

And that’s where I want to place the focus. Even though the turtle knew he would lose, he still showed up. He still took action. He still believed.

Trust is the Ingredient

How can we take advantage of the “little” like the turtle did in his race? Well, it takes trust. Trust is the secret ingredient to generate this kind of power.

What is trust?

Imagine if “Understanding” and “Knowledge” had a baby. That baby’s name would be “Trust.”

Understanding gives you peace, and knowledge gives you the bird’s-eye view. That bird’s-eye view lets you confirm exactly what you’re looking at, and it informs you by letting you see what comes next.

So when you place trust in the small things, there’s a peaceful sense of knowing that what you’re doing matters and eventually you’ll see it blossoming when the time is right.

Look deep within yourself and acknowledge what it is you’re reaching for. Have you got there yet? No… Maybe because there are some small things you’ve been disregarding.

👉 You’re rejecting the very thing that is supposed to save you.

The Formula for Success

Let’s talk about the power that is generated through small little acts. This is the power that builds, power that overtakes, or simply power that answers. It happens through one little act—repetition.

If you fall down, guess what? Get back up. That’s the most basic formula for success.

It’s not always this simple though, is it? When you decide to water your plant every day, you slowly see the form come to be. But if you stop, the form dies.

Give notice to the little things you overlook, because that may be the very thing that’s holding you back.

The Reality of the Seed

I want you to sit down and take a moment of your life to think. It doesn’t have to be right now. When you get to a place of solitude, meditate on the reality of how one little seed… became a great tree.

Not only that, but a great tree that feeds its co-inhabitants. Even further, a great tree that provides shelter for the wayward. It’s immensely insane how great of a phenomenon this has become!

And guess what? It was little by little.

• Little bit of sunlight.
• Little bit of water.
• Little bit of dirt.
• Little bit of air.

So if you can apply that to your life, it’ll look something like this:

• Little bit of silence.
• Little bit of exercise.
• Little bit of healthy dieting.
• Little bit of social interaction.
• Little bit of studying.
• Little bit of working.

Don’t Over-Analyze

Go ahead, read only 4 pages today, not the whole book. Run 5 minutes around the block, not a 3-mile marathon. Check your bank account and look at it—don’t break down your whole spending.

If you can manage to just touch base with your actions, even for a small moment, you’re still in the game. Avoidance is the “Little Power’s” kryptonite.

Stop believing the thoughts you’ve been having throughout the day about how it’s not worth it.

👉 It is worth it.

“It’s not gonna work anyways” is what you say—but who cares? Do it anyways. Take that half-court shot! Not literally, but figuratively—because that’s how it feels doing the little.

👉 Don’t be afraid of failing—be afraid of regretting.

In order for this to work, you need to meditate or simply think about your life. Ask your life serious questions and answer them truthfully. Don’t be afraid to be honest.

When you start realizing where you’re falling short, believe me—you’ve been overlooking some small things in that area.

Breaking it Down

So meditate on the big things in your life and break them down like food. You don’t just eat a pizza in one bite. No—you take a bite, then another bite within that bite.

See how you’re breaking it down? It needs to be small enough to digest. That’s where the magic happens—digestion.

When you start applying importance on the little things in your life, somewhere along the way, you’ll benefit from the reward.

For certain, your small, little acts are working behind the scenes, supplying the right nutrients to build you a satisfying result.

Everything big starts small. So I say again:

• Say no one time to that sugary, cold Dr Pepper.
• Wait 3 more seconds to hold that door for your elder.
• Read that passage one more time.
• Count the cost before you spend.

Take a breather, and know that if it isn’t gonna work this time or you’re gonna waste your time doing it—it’s ok. You’re not gonna die. Because who knows…

👉 That one small, little act might just be the home run you least expected.

…Pound It 👊