Chapter 9
LITTLE THINGS MATTER MOST
It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
—Robert Brault, author
I believe it is human nature to strive for and seek huge accomplishments . . . the type of deeds that will set us apart, the one or maybe two things we will be remembered for, our legacy; however, for the vast majority of us, we will most likely be remembered for what people may consider the “little things of life.” The quest for huge success, if taken for pure and ethical purposes, is good and healthy and is the reason humankind has been able to accomplish great things that have made our lives better and is the reason humans have progressed throughout the millennium. I would not suggest that this desire to accomplish great feats should not be considered or aspired to, quite the opposite. We all should work hard every day to live up to our full potential and to contribute as much as we possibly can to make our world, our community, our jobs, our families the very best—my point is I believe that for most of us, these “great things” will most likely be accomplished by committing to do the “little things” very well. In fact, I believe that only by doing the little things well will you ever be able to do the “great things” we desire to accomplish. There is a great deal written on the importance of accomplishing the little but important tasks in life, and this school of thought has been around for years as well. One Bible verse contains this wisdom too and is known to most people of faith . . . According to Luke 16:10 (NIV), “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” I have also found it interesting in life that this principle applies to many disciplines, like finance, sports, music, etc. Let’s explore one area to fully develop this thought.
Financial freedom for most people takes years of effort with many pitfalls along the pathway . . . it is based on years and years of small decisions and making the little things important. For illustration purposes, let’s say your goal is to retire at age sixty-five with a nest egg of $2M. That’s a very large and lofty goal but is attainable with proper planning and early investing—this goal would clearly fit into our earlier discussion on the importance and drive for large accomplishments. What are some of the key requirements along the way to make this goal a reality? Most of the tools and techniques are very simple, and I’ll list at least some of them now: (1) live within a budget; (2) pay yourself first; (3) avoid huge amounts of credit card debt; (4) live within one’s means; (5) start investing and saving early; (6) buy a used car versus that brand-new car; (7) invest in the future with tax-deferred savings accounts; etc. As you look at every one of these very well-known wealth-building techniques, I doubt if any of these strategies jumped off the page as “I never thought of that.” It’s also interesting to me that there are hundreds of financial planning companies and individuals that make amazing livings teaching very basic financial tools to their clients. Why? It’s a very simple answer . . . it’s because a lot of people do not live by or practice these techniques in any form or fashion . . . or maybe they apply one or two but not all of them. The thought process is that to be successful for the larger goal of financial freedom, you must do the little things to reach the goal, all of them. I also realize that sometimes life events can derail everything a person has done to reach financial freedom (i.e., loss of a job, serious health crisis, loss of a spouse, etc.), and you must have a well-paying or at least a decent-paying job to make this goal happen as well. However, for most Americans, at least some level of financial freedom or comfortable living is attainable if these simple money-saving techniques are followed. My point is that for many folks, financial freedom will not be obtained because the “little things” to reach the larger goal will not be accomplished. We could have similar discussions for almost every aspect of life from sports to music, to diets, to religion, etc.
Tip 19: Realize early in your career that being true to the little things will ultimately lead to much bigger opportunities.