Daily Times

“Don’t sweat the small stuff’, a saying we often get to hear when we are observed fretting over some tiny little details. While I agree with the over-arching premise of not letting every little thing take control over our lives, which the term implies, what I am however mulling over is how do you define the ‘small’ stuff? We often think of big changes when it comes to improving our lives, but small changes can be just as powerful.

Whether you are feeling stuck or just want to take your life up a notch, small tweaks can make a world of difference. I am a fan of James Clear’s work, his book ‘Atomic Habits’ to be specific. If you have not read it yet, I would highly recommend doing so. In the context of this article, I will pull in one aspect from his book which he terms as ‘The Power of Tiny Gains’ which states that if you aim to get just 1 percent better every day, in a year’s time you would have become 37 times better from the time you started. He very rightly states that often we convince ourselves that change is only meaningful if there is some large, visible outcome associated with it. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, traveling the world or any other goal, we often put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about.

Meanwhile, improving by just 1 percent is not notable and sometimes it is not even noticeable. It can be just as meaningful though especially in the long run. In my research on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotations, I was curious to find out what exactly motivated him. I learned that most, if not all, Dr King’s quotes were related to the civil rights movement.

The goal of the civil rights movement was to achieve one great idea and that was equal rights for all.

The goal of the civil rights movement was to achieve one great idea and that was equal rights for all. I also learned that equality would not have been achieved without smaller individual contributions from prominent leaders and lesser known individuals. A prime example of a small resistance initiative was when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. Rosa Parks may have felt that what she did was small, but it resulted in a great thing. Contrary to popular opinion, most great achievements did not start out with a master plan or moment of inspiration. They began as small steps. Each step was ordinary. But they accumulated into something more.

Likewise, when renowned author, Arthur Conan Doyle talks about a ‘great mind’, he refers to a mind that finds importance in everything, even the small stuff. Instead of ignoring ordinary, everyday things, a great mind sees them as chances to learn and to grow. This sort of mind does not see anything as ‘small’ or ‘unimportant’. Even the tiniest actions, ideas or moments can lead to bigger things.

They are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, building up to make a bigger picture. Remember, you do not need a red carpet to showcase your brilliance. Whether it is the way you style your hair, the care you put into folding laundry, or the genuine smile you offer a stranger, these are all small things that can be done in a great way. Do you think Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey or Richard Branson had their current realities in mind when they started on their path? No, of course not. Maybe they dreamt they would make it big one day, but that was not the motivation. They had an idea that excited them and they found ways to create it. Once that worked, they had another idea and slowly started working on that. They did not see bright lights and success overnight. Instead, they saw small pockets of opportunity to create something new and they did. Through consistency, they found greatness.

As a writer, I have to overcome a constant paralysis by allowing my mind to dream big, get an amazing idea, and before that idea translates from something simple like writing a column to something currently unattainable like ‘being the next Elif Shafak’, I stop my mind, grab a piece of paper or my mobile and start writing down. I write down the idea in its infancy stage. Literally write it down and start growing it on paper. Make the ideas come to life in front of my eyes, as they translate in my mind, rather than working backwards and going nowhere. If you do this, you can then start making small practical steps towards creating that dream a reality.

I have had success when I do this. It could not be more true that the biggest changes always start with the smallest steps. We, as a culture, are obsessed with becoming great. We work hard to build up a name for ourselves, a “legacy” for our families, a semblance of fame and notoriety. Nothing less is good enough. Nothing less is worth anything at all. At least that is what we are told. We begin to look down our noses at the “smaller” things. The less notable things. We start to shame them, even unintentionally. We are so overwhelmed that we tend to lose focus on starting out and on the small.

What happened to being nice to the one person that comes our way or our colleague at work or some stranger we are sharing a taxi with without expecting anything in return? What happened to being a good neighbor demonstrating the love of God with excellence? What happened to just wanting to put a smile on someone’s face without getting some recognition or award? I think there is a serious problem when we refuse to be satisfied with smallness. When we cannot find contentment unless we find greatness. When we are constantly after more and more.

Small opportunities are everywhere; the opportunity to do your best in your current job, the opportunity to be kind and open to people who you meet everyday. Not many people have or will make a large impact on the world but if we all at least do what we can, no matter how small it is and it is a positive step it is a “small” step in the right direction.

Please do not get me wrong. I am all for born to be great but why do we feel until we get some accolades or applause or recognition then we are not doing anything? It is so easy to dismiss the value of making slightly better decisions on a daily basis. Sticking with the fundamentals is not impressive. Falling in love with boredom is not sexy.

Getting one percent better is not going to make headlines. There is one thing about it though: “it works”. I am reminded of a quote by Mother Teresa, which concludes this perfectly and will hopefully leave you with some food for thought: ‘Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.’

The writer is an ex banker and a freelance columnist. She can be reached at tbjs.cancer.1954@gmail.com