The Details

After taking a break to assess a terrifically challenging 2018, I can confidently say that I have learned more in these past 365 days than I have in any other year of my life. Ironically, my first year without school since 2000 turned into the year that brought me more knowledge and understanding than any year I spent studying in formal classrooms. This is largely due to my newfound desire to read and listen to books, something I thought I would never say if you had asked me three years ago.

I would like to share with you the three most important lessons I have learned this past year, a year of incredible growth and much-needed maturity (although my friends say I still need a bit more of that). Here, I bring you lesson number one:

It's All in the Details

This is such a profound and wide-reaching mentality that applies to so many aspects of life; but I’ve narrowed it down to a couple: enjoying other people’s happiness, and chasing greatness.

When we genuinely appreciate other people and become excited for what they are excited for, it becomes so easy to connect with everyone we meet. Listening to Marsha share every little detail about the sweater she is knitting for her seventh cat is no longer the most painful experience of your life when you realize that every specific detail contributes to her overall joy. It is not because you think knitting is dope but because you think happiness is, and this is how Marsha is able to find that. And that is beautiful. To those who care what the Bible says (if that's not you, I don't blame you), Jesus says in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” As we head into 2019 remember that we are not here to rid others of the things that make them happy, but rather to appreciate those things and rejoice in each and every detail.

When striving to be great, every little detail is significant. As Rob Bell alluded to in his podcast, Lebron knows exactly what socks he wears when playing basketball because small details are critical to achieving big success. Furthermore, we won’t win big until we win consistently on a small scale. And that’s where the challenge lies: How long can you continue to work on those tiny, seemingly insignificant wins without seeing results before giving up on the larger overall goal? That depends on how much you truly trust the process; the process which is composed of an abundance of tiny details, all working together to allow us to achieve our most radical goals.

As Mother Teresa once said: “We can do no great things - only small things with great love.”