Below is an article by Martin Rooney that was sent to me by Matt Brundage… many thanks Matt!! It’s a spin on what I’m always referring to as the little choices we make in life. Enjoy! Ted

The Little Things Make a Big Difference

When I look back at all of the great people that I have worked with over the years, the most successful ones all had something in common: they all paid attention to the “little things”. I describe the little things as tasks throughout a person’s day that are simple to do. Unfortunately, I also describe the little things as tasks throughout a person’s day that are simple not to do. For instance, it is as simple to eat well every day as it is to eat poorly. It is as simple to get the right amount of sleep every night as it is to lose sleep. It is as simple to be on time and thorough with your training as it is to be late and half-hearted. It is simple to deliver great service to your customers as it is to be lackluster. These instructions sum up this entire concept: Do the little things right and the big things will take care of themselves. As the Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden once said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

Momentary Pleasure Only Lasts a Moment

Many people often stop along the way to greatness because they settle for what they want now instead of what they want most. The most successful people choose the future over now. Don’t lose sight of your goals for something that is not going to be worth it. This is going to require what I consider one of the greatest characteristics that all successful people have on their path to success: persistence. As the author Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ” By persisting in your path, though you forfeit the little, you gain the great.”

I have found that the one thing that won’t fail you on your trip to the top is your persistence. The wise President Calvin Coolidge gave what I believe is the best description of persistence that history has known:

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

The tennis great, Bjorn Borg, stated a similar quote that also demonstrates the power of staying the course:

“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”

I hope you all enjoyed these thoughts and start putting it to use right away. Pay attention to the little things this week and P.U.S.H (Persist Until Something Happens!)

Do this and I promise the big things will take care of themselves.