Going for the Big, While Missing the Small

Regardless of your endeavor, you probably have at one time or another thought about hitting it big.  Natural as the air you breathe it seems.  In many respects big is a good thing-if it is a part of your destiny.  For example, Nelson Mandela was meant to have worldwide notoriety and focus.  He was the right man for the journey South Africa was in.  It's also quite a statement how he released power, while some of his contemporaries held (and are still holding) on.  See Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe on this.  In an ironic way leadership plays out like this everyday in organizations across the globe.

So as we hear the music playing our tune, it's easy to embrace the big. 

I've been asked about Oprah, about fame, about money, about feeling the love.  But rarely am I asked about the input, the mission, or the pain.  Maybe there's no surprise here, since we are enamored with the output.  If I were not careful, I could easily miss the small while going for the big.  Thankfully, humility is now in my blood work.  Wasn't always this way.

Here's why the small is important:

1. Hitting the big is very temporal.  Hitting the small refines your soul.
2. The small people are the biggest people.
3. Those who are only fascinated by the big will leave you in a heartbeat when the party is over.
4. The small allows you to serve from a perspective of reality and measurable outcome.
5. The small will stay with you come good or bad.  The small knows dedication.
6. The small will pave a way for greatness.
7. The small reminds you (daily) that life truly is a moment by moment game.
8. The small will not detour you from your destiny.
9. Customers are always found and served in the small.