Think Big in Small Places

I heard this quote from someone recently and it almost knocked me over.

For so many of us, we grow up thinking about making a difference in the world, or being wealthy, or traveling to exotic destinations, or getting married to the person of our dreams, and so on. These things are fine to aspire to. Heck, they’re probably even good to aspire to. But they’re all thinking big in big places.

Thinking big in small places is much different.

It’s about wanting to be the best listener on earth. It’s about having an airtight morning routine and following it every day. It’s about saying five nice things to five different people every day. It’s about responding to every email in your inbox because the people who wrote you shouldn’t be ignored. It’s about striving for greatness on mundane things.

Great writers, exceptional writers, who’ve written some of the most renowned and respected titles of all time, didn’t wait for inspiration to strike. No, they sat down at the typewriter or computer every morning and wrote. They did this when they were tired and when they didn’t feel like it. They did it when it would have been so much easier not to.

Steinbeck didn’t know that The Grapes of Wrath would become one of the greatest novels of all time. How could he? No, he wrote, every day. Until it was done. The greatness took care of itself.

Don’t skip steps. Don’t spend so much time daydreaming about huge successes and forget that the small things lead to the huge things.

Today is Christmas morning. If your house is like mine, it’ll soon be covered in torn wrapping paper and littered with toys and candy. I’m grateful for this. I challenge you, though, to think of one way you can think big in small places today (yes, a challenge on Christmas. What did you think I’d do: just tell you to celebrate and enjoy?).

Do the dishes even if that’s not your role in the house. Call or text someone you haven’t spoken to in years and wish them a happy holiday. Create a game with a little one using a new toy of theirs instead of scrolling through your phone or talking to the other adults.

Think big in small spaces. And if you celebrate, Merry Christmas.