The Little Things

“Have you ever been bitten by an elephant? Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?We worry about the big things but it’s the little things that will bite you.” ~ Darren Hardy ~ Publisher of Success Magazine

 This isn’t really a typical ‘quote’, but as I was reading Hardy’s book, The Compound Effect this week, this just resonated with truth. I think everyone has had a few “big mistakes” in their life. Maybe you once took a job that you knew wasn’t right for you; or you found yourself in a bad personal relationship with the wrong person; or maybe you bought something you knew you couldn’t afford. We can call these elephant bits. Usually when we make a big mistake like that, we soon realize we are in an untenable situation and take measures necessary to change courses.

The thing with these ‘elephant bites’ is that hopefully they are very few and far between. Their consequences are so devastating we soon learn to protect ourselves from making these colossal mistakes.  Mosquito bites are different. These are the little day to day decisions where we don’t see the immediate effects, such as choosing to watch some mindless TV show instead of reading something beneficial; having a piece of pie instead of going for a walk; or sending meaningless text messages instead of focusing on work. These decisions can seem inconsequential at the time, but over time, they can add up to have disastrous consequences.

Hopefully, you’re mature enough to make good decisions when it comes to the major aspects of your life, so you rarely, if ever, will get bitten by an elephant. But mosquitoes sneak up on you. They bite you when you’re not paying attention. Always being mindful of making the right decisions is like having your own citronella candle everywhere you go. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Quit worrying about the elephants. You’ll see them coming.  What are the mosquitoes in your life? What are those little seemingly inconsequential decisions that could one day have devastating effects on your life if you don’t start guarding yourself against mosquito bites? Make those right “small” decisions today and keep those pesky mosquitoes away.

___________________________________________________________

Monty Rainey is a District Manager working in the self storage industry since 1996 and currently overseeing 21 stores in the Austin & San Antonio, TX area. He is also a leadership coach and public speaker. For a free consultation, please contact Monty at 830-743-2139 or visit his website at http://www.montyrainey.com .