It’s the Little Things
For some reason, Beth and I have been getting lots of feedback about the importance of the little things in life.
Whether it’s been quotes from an interview, or discussions with friends and family. There has been a constant reminder that the little things – the things between the big events and big decisions – are what count the most.
Just this morning, I read an interview with Naomi Osaka, the young tennis player. Referencing the importance of winning big tennis matches she said,
“It used to be really heavy when I lost, because I felt like that just meant that I was kind of worth nothing. I felt like as I grew up, I learned more and I realized that life isn’t based on just the tennis game I play. It’s sort of based on little things, like your actions as a person. Like saying hello to everyone you meet and stuff like that.”
As we’ve lived our lives, it does feel like life is all about the little interactions. Appreciating the color and boldness of flowers, welcoming the warmth of the sun on our faces, or saying hello to people as they walk by. It’s the tiny, every-day choices we make, and how we choose to react to our experiences that give life meaning.
So often we get caught up in the drama of making sure something happens the way we want it to. We set our expectations on the when and the how of the outcome. We try to skip past all the steps along the journey that move us forward.
When we’re present in our journey, we are better able to adjust and react to what’s happening inside and outside of us. We’re able to feel our way through versus motoring through with our heads down and push to our predetermined destination.
When we push through to that predetermined place, we sometimes find out it’s not really where we wanted to go after all. Maybe it was – or we thought it was – when we started, but somewhere on the journey, we weren’t paying attention to different little cues and never made the needed course adjustments. That’s how we end up in a place we didn’t intend to.
The little things are easy to see when we look. It’s a matter of intentionality. Realizing each moment is equally significant, can help keep us from looking too far forward or backward for some big ‘answer’, and instead stay and relish the present.