Don’t Neglect the Small Things Recap

Everybody who joins our organization is given the same speech. I share principles from my life. (Some might call them “quirks!”) The first one is to pay attention to the little things.

Some might say, “Don't sweat the small stuff.” I disagree! Don’t get me wrong - no need to lose sleep or become anxious about “small things.” Rather it’s the idea that doing small things well makes the big things happen. Sometimes we neglect that. We overlook the simple principle of what it means to do small things well. An example of someone who did this incredibly well was the legendary basketball coach, John Wooden.

John Wooden was one of the greatest, consistently successful coaches of all time. Small in stature, big in impact. He coached some of the greatest basketball players in collegiate basketball. He had a reputation for harnessing great talent and producing great teams. In fact, there were three or four seasons that his UCLA team had perfect seasons! He was a truly great model and mentor to his young players. He lived by the principle of doing small things with excellence.

Wooden was quotable. "It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen." Part of his ritual at the beginning of each season was to teach his 18-year-old young men how to properly put on a pair of socks and then how to tie their shoes! His principle was simple: socks and shoes put on incorrectly lead to blisters. Blisters lead to a messed up practice. A messed up practice leads to a lost game. A lost game could cost them the national championship.

A very familiar text for many of us illustrates this basic principle. “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Today has enough trouble of its own.” Often our minds and hearts are consumed with what's happening tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. But all we are asked to do is just tackle today. The small things. Today. Lived well.