Small is the New Big

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. -Vincent Van Gogh (1853 – 1890)

Small is the new big?! Really? For years I have been studying what makes people successful. People who do great things appear to leverage big opportunities to a make big impact. These people have the opportunity, ability, positioning, and resources to make it all happen. The new big for them is always big.  Right?  I would suggest the contrary. Their Big came through a series of small things that built up to their Big.

There is a saying that if your are faithful in little you will be faithful in much.  Big things are build upon the small incremental habits and successes we build everyday.  If you get immediate success without having private victories, you will not be able to sustain the public victories. The success could kill you.

I observed one co-worker recently who has been growing in influence and responsibility. This individual has a good attitude about work and has a strong work ethic. One of the differentiating factors about this person is he is always willing to help out to create new solutions and improve things. Many of the new ideas that were implemented did not take a lot of effort, but required persistence and focus. Taking the initiative, caring about his work, and following through has gained this person quite a bit of recognition. It wasn’t because of a big project, it has been the little things over a period of time.

Jack Cranfield in his book The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be suggests that, if you adopt one new habit every quarter, over a period of years you will be a very changed person. Whether it is a habit you are changing or making simple improvements, it all adds up and creates momentum in the right direction.

This principle applies to your relationships as well; probably even more so.  People are not machines or computers where certain inputs will give a the results you want. You could do something really big in a friendship, and discover that it didn’t mean as much as doing a series of small things over time.

So if you feel stuck in your job, business or relationship, think about this.  Small really is the new big.  Don’t be a victim. Take action, and don’t be afraid of the small, because it all adds up. Begin to look for opportunities to do small things that you can accomplish and bring home. You will eventually create a tipping point and things will change. Do it over a period time, and send me an email and tell me how things have changed.