In recent weeks, I’ve been thinking about our brand and the perspective of those who interact with us as a remodeling partner. Then, a few days ago, I read something that made me stop in my tracks and question things I thought to that moment. So, I will ask you… which things are more important… the small things or the big things? If you are curious about the answer, then read on as we continue to demystify the remodeling process.
Have you ever seen the jar exercise where the professor puts big rocks in the jar and asks the class if the jar is full? They answer yes, then he proceeds to pull out a container with smaller rocks the size of pea gravel… and he fills in around the big rocks. He asks again, is the jar full? They again say yes. He then gets a container of sand and pours it in. Just as before, the sand finds its way between the big rocks and the small rocks and proceeds to fill the jar. His exercise had meaning. And with that, I bring you back to my question. Which are more important – the big things or the little things? The answer is EVERYTHING MATTERS
The little things turn into big things
CS Lewis wrote that the littlest decisions are of infinite importance and the smallest good act today could go on to lead you to victories you never could have dreamed of.
One of my favorite social media follows is a smart young guy named Sahil Bloom. He wrote about this topic in the last week and said your life will change as soon as you realize that every single thing matters. He said you don’t get to choose when you show up because the world will ignore your best and judge you for your worst. So, you have to remember that the small things become the big things.
How Simple, Yet How Profound
At Lifestyle, we work hard to identify those differentiators that help us stand out from the others. As I said in the video I put together this week, you can go to the home page of our website and see a list of things that I think matter and make us a great partner. The relationships we create matter. Our communication matters. The attention to detail matters.
And then I go and read this passage last week and it hits me… EVERYTHING MATTERS! Every single thing. And all of our efforts to do the small things for our clients are as important as the big things. Cleaning up every day. The efforts we make on day one to prepare and protect a project area. The small things all get noticed as much as the beautiful end result. Don’t get me wrong… I have always known the small things are important, but why didn’t I acknowledge that everything matters? Well, I never thought about it in that way.
An example of a small thing becoming a big thing
Have you ever been in a room with someone and had a seemingly meaningless, polite conversation that you can look back on years later and say, “I can’t believe that turned into all these things all these years later?”
Well, I can tell you I stood in a pool in Naples, Florida at a Builders Association Board of Directors retreat more that 20 years ago and had one of those polite, seemingly meaningless conversations with a guy named Brian Adams. Not long after that, his company (Godby Hearth & Home) began doing our custom shower door work and installing our fireplaces in the homes of our clients. Many years later, he said to me, “You really need to think about a location in Carmel.” He listed the many reasons why based on a second location he had recently opened in the Indiana Design Center in downtown Carmel.
Did I act on that right away? Absolutely not. Did I think about it often and eventually bring it from the back of my mind to the front of my mind? Yes. Now, many years after that initial conversation, we are doing just as he suggested and opening a Carmel location to be more central to our northside client base and meet them closer to where they are. Brian has shared his experiences with me and we’ve discussed the challenges in running our businesses over the years. A simple conversation led to a friendship and that relationship grew, allowing me to learn things I would not know if I hadn’t stood in a pool one afternoon many years ago and talked to a guy I hadn’t met.
Everything matters.
I tell my wife all the time that everything happens for a reason. I guess it stands to reason that if that is true, then it’s not just the big happy things that matter, but all the small little wins matter, too. And so do the tough losses along the way. I refer to those as “tuition” because they are the price we pay to grow and become better versions of ourselves.
If nothing else, maybe I will make you think this week about your “everything”. My mind often doesn’t stop and so my apologies if I took you down a path you weren’t planning to go today. If that’s the case, ask yourself why. And remember, everything matters!
If you have questions we can answer, please don’t hesitate to ask. We are very happy to help!
Have a great week!