Be Big in the Little Things

Be big in the little things.

I read this phrase in an airline magazine recently, and it stuck.  So much power in six simple words!

The story in the magazine was about a man who lived this phrase day in and day out.  He never let the little things get to him and opted to take the high road whenever possible.  What a saint!

This got me thinking about how so much of my day to day life is filled with little stresses.  The key word is little.  I know I recently blogged about meltdowns and feeling overwhelmed, but trust me, I know I have it good.  With a little bit of perspective, positive thinking, and gratitude, my stress can (for the most part) be reversed quite easily.

With that being said, the little things are what consume most of our lives on a daily basis.  And how we react and behave in these moments is what frames our perspective which, in my opinion, ultimately creates our destiny (to a degree).

So what if we chose to be big in the little things?  We chose not to get upset, angry, super duper emotional, etc.  What if instead, we saw the small things for what they are…small.

Instead of mumbling/grumbling through the little things, we can actually be big in a very simple way.  We can say thank you.

This thought came to me as I was reading another article about living in a constant state of thanks.  Essentially, this means saying thank you all the time – not only to other human beings but to inanimate objects as well.  By saying thank you (or thinking it) throughout the day, you are acknowledging all of the wonderfulness in your life and creating a positive energy bubble that gets harder and harder to burst as time goes on.

For example (and I kid you not), as I was heading out for work and locking the apartment door, I took a moment to say thank you to our apartment for being such a beautiful and comfortable first home for us in Chicago.  I know it sounds silly, but that small act put me in such a good mood.  I even withstood the super crowded (and super late) train without silently complaining!

Look, I’m not saying it’s easy to be big in the little things.  Sometimes when the little things add up, it’s hard not to be reactive (and a little crazy!).  But as I like to say, what’s the alternative?  To get upset over every little thing and end up miserable?  I didn’t think so!

Happy Wednesday!  And don’t forget to be big in as many little things that come your way. 🙂

P.S. THANK YOU to everyone who reached out to me after Monday’s blog post!  You guys are plain awesome!  I promise I’m doing much better and can’t wait to share the habits/strategies I’m trying!  I’m sending big virtual hugs to all of you!