These Little Things, They Matter the Most
As I study the scriptures, read the biographies of men, study successful people, I realize that there is a common thread in people who have enduring successes. There seems to be this thin line we can find among those we would term really great. Not great in terms of material acquisition only but great as in deserving our highest respect. These people value little things; they seem to do instinctively the little things that most of us tend to ignore or place little or no value on.
For clarification, I am not saying this is just the factor that made them great. Grace is the major factor in attaining greatness in any area. One does not have to look too far to see that two people may appear to have the same set of qualities such as loving, caring, hardworking, focused, tenacious, etc. One attains greatness in a manner of speaking, the other is just okay. Grace makes the difference.
As I begin to value the art of being still, meditating and learning to be silent, it begins to dawn on me that it is not big things that really separate us at the end of the day. When the final whistle blows, it is not going to be about whether you had great treasure or if you practiced goal-setting or how comprehensive your resume was, neither is it going to be about who drove the most expensive car, or who worked at the best company or who had the highest number of degrees. When the final whistle blows, the question will be about who did those little things that do not carry any points. For example, in your academics, business or career, Use of Library, make research, ask questions. No matter how little these efforts may seem, they matter the . Some things may seem not to carry any points but nonetheless, very important.
Things like saying I am sorry, Thank you, I love you, etc. Things like keeping up with your promises, helping the elderly get into the bus, getting your neigbours clothes out of the line when it is about to rain. Things like forwarding a good mail you received from a friend so that it can add value to some other people; placing a comment to encourage the writer of a good note you just read; refraining from using insulting words on your President even when he is obviously doing something wrong. These little things might not carry any points but when the final whistle blows, you may not graduate if you fail in these areas.
We missed it when we no longer place value on the little things that really matter the most. We missed it when we started desiring to be like our next door neighbor. We missed it when we started looking for changes outside rather than on the inside of ourselves. We missed it when we thought that teachers were responsible for our children. We missed it when we thought that because the children cannot vote, therefore, they had no voice.
We are paying dearly today because we missed it. Just when we thought that technology was everything, we finally realized that there is more to life than technology. Technology may make life easier but values make life better. Valuing the little things that seem to go unnoticed until the final whistle is blown is what would really make the world a better place for us all.
There is no use climbing the ladder only to realize at the top of the ladder that it is leaning against the wrong wall. Time, once spent, can never be recovered. Words, once spoken, can never be taken back. Therefore, before we spend that time, before we say those words, let us be sure that we will not regret it because these little things, they matter the most.