Many of you have probably read the book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. While this is a truth in life, because God tells us to not worry about anything, there is value in paying attention to details. There is value in doing the little things well. There is value in making habits of making right choices on the little things.
Many successful people are well aware of this idea. Many people who live a satisfying life are well aware of this plan. Many of us are well aware of the value of this plan, but we do not put it into practice. As a former middle-school teacher of 29 years, I often used the following philosophy, "You are what you decide to a certain degree." The older you get, the higher that degree goes up, since your parents make decisions for you less and less as you grow older. Even as adults, we certainly do not control everything in our lives. Let's examine this philosophy. The most important choice is how you view God. It determines your eternity. Similarly, the way we view others, certainly helps determine the person we are. It defines the way we behave and treat others on a daily basis. There are so many other choices that shape our lives. Many of these are big, such as marriage partner (or not), career, place you live, friends you choose, church you attend (or not), how you spend your money, how you spend your spare time, and many more.
The premise of little decisions being big has been brought to my attention by retired basketball Coach John Wooden in one of his books, Coach Wooden's Greatest Secret. It is amazing to think about how many small decisions we make--even in one day. Honestly, many of theses decisions do not shape our lives. But, habitual little choices about every aspects of our lives shape who we are. If you are honest in small decisions, you are an honest person. If you are inconsistent in little choices, you are inconsistent. If you are loyal to someone in small choices, you probably are loyal in big choices. Since I was a coach for 40 seasons over a 20-year span, I tend to think about this philosophy applied to sports. Besides the great John Wooden using this philosophy, there are so many coaches that use this approach. The two greatest Alabama football coaches of all time believe(d) in the little things--the details. When I was at my best as a coach, I had my team doing the details well. This philosophy may transcend in to one play for the entire season--success or failure. A base-running error could cost the championship. A well placed squeeze play could win the championship. A 2-point conversion could make or break you. And, the list goes on and on.
One thing I love about sports is there application to other parts of life. Qualities such as disciple, team-work, effort, and DOING THE LITTLE THINGS WELL! For argument sake, let us forget sports. Please think about doing the little things well. It takes practice. It takes discipline. It takes desire. It takes the ability to forgive yourself when you make a bad little decision.
It all boils down to the famous question: What kind of society would we have if everybody treated small decisions like I do?
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