“Until the really ‘great’ stuff comes along, do the not-so-great stuff. The not-so-great stuff always leads to the great stuff. Whereas doing nothing pretty much leads to nowhere.
And do it with a passion.”
The Universe
All of the great stuff was created by the not-so-great stuff. If you are not willing to do the not-so-great stuff, you won’t have very much great stuff. Consider working out five days a week for one hour at 5:00 a.m. over the course of 90 days. For some, that might be in the category called the not-so-great stuff. Now, imagine day 91 wearing that bikini or fitting into the wedding dress, clearly the great stuff. Maybe you are saving money in order to buy a house. During that year, you had to say no to vacations, new clothes, and doodads – the not-so-great stuff. The day you move into that house will be pretty great. The not-so-great stuff always leads to the great stuff. How much not-so-great stuff are you willing to do to get all the great stuff? For most people, not very much. They would rather stay safe and comfortable and live by “If it feels good now, do it.”
“Your future self has a message for you: take better care of your body, save more money, and do more not-so-great stuff. I need you.”
Renee Cermak
How well (or not) you do the “small stuff” is a predictor of how you will do the “big stuff.” If your boss is not able to count on you to keep two accounts moving forward, why would she give you 10? If you can’t count on yourself to pick up your child on time every day from school, how will you count on yourself to be on time for her ever? If you can count on yourself to do the “not-so-great stuff” consistently and regularly, then you will be prepared to welcome the big rewards into your life because you will possess the self-esteem and habits to handle the greater responsibilities and rewards that go along with the “great stuff.”
“Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one, it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”
Dale Carnegie