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Overview
Wall Street Journal Bestseller
Have you ever wondered why we spend so much time and energy thinking about the big challenges in our lives when all the evidence proves it’s actually the little things that change everything? That’s right… Absolutely everything.
Little Things embodies Andy’s own approach to life and work, detailing for the first time some of the exclusive material that he uses to teach and coach some of the most successful corporations, teams, and individuals around the world. In his unique humorous style, Andy shows how people succeed by actually going against the modern adage, “don’t sweat the small stuff”. By contrast, Andy proves that it is in concentrating on the smaller things that we add value and margin.
Discover a new perspective and a game plan for meeting various challenges, such as:
- Managing life in a society that seems to be constantly offended by something or someone
- Creating change that is permanent and not short term
- Dramatically increasing results by harnessing the fraction of margin between second place and first
- Understanding our spiritual connection with God and how that affects planning and outcome
- Identifying the very moment when asking the question why? multiplies the success of an endeavor
- Recognizing the smallest details that ensure the greatest success
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780718089108 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Christian Publishing |
| Publication date: | 08/22/2023 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 189 |
| Sales rank: | 493,844 |
| File size: | 865 KB |
About the Author
Andy Andrews is a bestselling novelist, speaker, and consultant for some of the world’s most successful teams, largest corporations, and fastest-growing organizations. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Noticer, How Do You Kill 11 Million People?, and the modern classic The Traveler’s Gift. For more information, please visit AndyAndrews.com.
Read an Excerpt
The Little Things
Why You Really Should Sweat the Small Stuff
By Andy Andrews
Thomas Nelson
Copyright © 2017 Andy AndrewsAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-8910-8
CHAPTER 1
A Little Thing ... like a one
How many ideas are out there, waiting patiently for you to show up?
HOW DOES THAT SONG GO? YOU REMEMBER IT, DON'T you?
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do ...
It's amazing when you think about it. Harry Nilsson wrote a piece of music about the smallest number in the world. Three Dog Night recorded it as a single, and the song was a huge hit!
Of course, one isn't just small and lonely. That number packs a lot of power. Yes, one. One second, one degree, one idea, one more ...
One more? Ah, yeah. That would be two. And there's a canyon of difference between one and two. From 1967 to 1973, the UCLA men's basketball team under John Wooden won a remarkable seven national championships in a row. That's right. Seven consecutive times the team ended the season at number one. Can you name any of the teams that claimed the number two spot?
Who won the last Super Bowl? You remember that, don't you? Quickly now, who did they beat? Odd, isn't it? With thirty-plus teams in the NFL, most of us can't remember the second-best team of less than a year ago!
The modern Olympics have been contested for well over a century and have been the source of many memorable — even legendary — moments for many of us. I wonder ... how many gold medalists can you name? Now make a list of the silver medalists you can remember. Don't feel bad. I can't name more than a couple either. But that's the point, isn't it? There's a big difference between one and two.
How about one idea? The airplane, penicillin, air conditioning, the computer — before they were physical, workable realities, these examples and a million more life-changing inventions or discoveries were merely ideas. In fact, each was ONE idea. It's an empowering realization. In order to change your life, all YOU need is one idea.
Even in the toughest of times, one idea can save the day. In crisis, most people default to excuses of not having enough money or enough time or lacking leadership.
It is important to remember, however, that you aren't really lacking money. You aren't really lacking time. Or leadership. You are only lacking one thing. An idea.
One idea will change everything. One idea will change the world. You and I have seen one idea make billions of dollars. We've seen one idea save millions of lives. And one idea can move you from where you are to where you want to be.
Incidentally, don't ever allow yourself to believe that all the great ideas have been taken. Never forget that, as a society, we put men on the moon before anyone thought to put wheels on luggage!
How many ideas are out there, waiting patiently for YOU to show up?
Or consider not just the power of one, but the power of a fraction of one. When considering financial reward or future opportunities, is there also a significant gap in those items between first and second place? Of course there is. But how much of a gap?
The financial difference in the opportunities offered to a gold medalist versus a silver medalist is hard to quantify, considering the variety of Olympic sports that are contested. But it is clear. Michael Phelps has had more of life's opportunities, personally and in business, because he has won gold medals instead of winning "only" silver.
Decades after winning gold medals, athletes like Mary Lou Retton, Sugar Ray Leonard, Michelle Kwan, Carl Lewis, Peggy Fleming, and Mike Eruzione are all remembered and revered. They also continue to be well compensated. In fact, many gold medalists are paid tens of thousands of dollars merely to stand in front of a group of people and recount their athletic experiences. The silver medalists ... not so often.
"Okay," you say. "This is all very obvious. What's the point?"
Well, the point is very simple, but for some reason it is often missed in our almost constant struggle to understand that ever-popular big picture. You see, the point of demonstrating the chasm between first and second place is not to illustrate the financial difference. Or even to show the financial reward produced over time by lasting fame.
No, if you and I are to become extraordinary achievers, we must learn to recognize the little things that actually create the gap — and, consequently, the difference in opportunities — between one and two. Astonishingly, these little things that most people see as irrelevant sometimes occur days or even weeks in advance of the event.
And know this: the difference really is in little things because the actual gap between first and second place is most often ridiculously small. In fact, as with multiple Olympic sports, the difference between first place and tenth place is less than a second.
During one of his many appearances in the Olympic Games, American swimmer Michael Phelps once won a gold medal by a hundredth of a second. Think about it. A hundredth of a second is smaller than the amount of time it takes lightning to strike. It takes more than a hundredth of a second for a hummingbird to flap its wing one time. The blink of an eye takes longer than a hundredth of a second.
Here is the truth that average achievers never bother to consider: the advantage in any arena of life is earned far in advance of the moment one is required to perform. The truth about Phelps's race is that the tiny burst that propelled him to victory had been acquired in an almost imperceptible manner. It might have been one more swallow of coffee that morning. Or one more practice lap the week before. Or five minutes of additional rest here or there.
Or could it have been a thought?
All activity and movement are initiated in the brain. Had Phelps allowed a negative thought during the race, might that momentary doubt have added two-hundredths of a second to his time? Or was a positive thought, quietly whispered to himself on the starting block, responsible for the hundredth of a second that made the difference between gold and silver?
For winning that particular race, Phelps's former sponsor, Speedo, presented him with a check for one million dollars (which he promptly gave to charity). So whatever Phelps did and whenever he did it, you can be certain that the difference it made was hugely valuable.
And incredibly small.
CHAPTER 2A Little Thing ... like a few nails
Be sure you have the details covered. If you don't take the time now to do it right, will you have the opportunity later to do it at all?
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY THERE ARE OFTEN different versions of a single event that occurred hundreds of years ago? Competing versions of the same story appear frequently when one is exploring the historical record. History is like that, you see. Most people never notice that there is a big difference between "history" and "the past." Simply put, the past is what actually happened. History is merely what someone wrote.
In a nutshell, the contrast between the two reveals why so many different versions of the same event can be found on the Internet and in history books. It also explains why, when an incident is retold or rewritten, small parts of the story are often ignored or edited out of the final version. Regrettably, these tiny omissions can dramatically change what schoolchildren and society as a whole are able to learn from what really happened. A classic case in point is the story of Napoleon's victory at Waterloo.
"Wait a minute," you say. "I thought Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo." Of course, you are correct. It is true that Napoleon was beaten badly that day — but only after he won. Here's the story.
In February 1815, Napoleon fled from Elba, where he had been exiled by the allied governments of Europe. This signaled the start of what we now call the Hundred Days Campaign. During this time, not a soul relaxed in the capitals of Europe. They were terrified of Napoleon. Those fears were well founded, for when Napoleon reached Paris, the first move he made was to organize an army for the express purpose of sweeping across the continent.
Many of his former generals were dead or had switched allegiances. Desaix had been killed at Marengo, Lannes at Aspern. Junot shot himself. None of it was of any concern to Napoleon. He believed himself capable of independent command. He was a military genius. After all, everyone told him so.
Amazingly, after several months of campaigning, it appeared Napoleon's view of himself was quite accurate. It wasn't until June 18 that the emperor's situation took a dramatic turn.
That morning, just after daylight, Napoleon was having breakfast with his generals at Rossomme Farm, their temporary headquarters. One of his leaders worried aloud about Wellington's strong position, being situated on high ground at Mont-Saint-Jean.
The emperor scoffed, "It does not matter where Wellington chooses to fight. We have no possibility of defeat!" It certainly appeared that his was a well-reasoned confidence. Napoleon had 72,000 men and 246 cannons compared to Wellington's 67,000 men and 156 cannons.
Napoleon rode a small gray horse and was dressed in a gray topcoat with a dark purple silk vest as he set out that morning. His white trousers covered boots that came just past his knees. As he was about to send his troops into battle, the emperor turned to his next-in-command, Marshal Michel Ney. "If my orders are well executed, we shall sleep in Brussels tonight."
All day long Napoleon sent wave after wave of infantry against Wellington's forces. At the end of the afternoon, Ney and his massed cavalry were ready to finish the battle. These were Napoleon's strongest, most experienced, and most effective fighters — five thousand of them. As the finest horses in Europe stamped with nervous anticipation, the sun shimmered reflections from five thousand swords. Pennants, held aloft on the tips of five thousand lances, fluttered in the wind as the emperor reviewed the situation one last time.
One bold sweep, he knew, would separate the enemy from their cannons; then he would cut them down. Yes, it would work. A well-executed cavalry attack would be devastating. And all Napoleon had to do was push Wellington's men away from their cannons. Because of this, he would not separate his divisions, but would attack in a single broad front.
At 4:03 p.m., the French advanced. Supported by artillery, the French cavalry was in the center of the attack. The riders started at a trot, heading directly for the huge British guns. Almost immediately, the British opened up with loads of canister, firing thousands of round lead balls.
Directing the cavalry, Ney pointed his saber forward to signal, La Charge! Without hesitation, five thousand horses broke into full gallop, the ground trembling from the pounding of their hooves. "Vive L'Empereur!" the men screamed as they raced to engage the enemy.
On the other side, Colonel Cornelius Frazier, battalion commander for Wellington, beheld his worst nightmare come true. A shifting, galloping tide of dust and steel was advancing on his position. They'll roll right over us! he thought. Napoleon's men were riding two ranks deep, knee to knee, and though they were headed straight for his battalion's deadly fire, how many rounds could his gunners manage?
As the big guns fired, Wellington's canister tore limbs and turned horses inside out. Riders went down, but nothing stopped the charge. Then, at the sound of the bugle, five thousand spear tips lowered, appearing in front of the horses to form a battering ram of pointed steel.
Another blast from the enemy's guns tore into the riders. Every gun, every battery on the hill was blasting away, but nothing stopped the charge of the French cavalry.
Wellington's gunners managed to loosen off one more round of canister as riders and horses piled into them. Less than five minutes later, Ney was out in front, watching as the British gunners dropped their sponge staves and deserted their cannons. The men continued to push and fight until the French infantry had captured every single enemy cannon.
They had done it. Ney and his cavalry had driven the English from their artillery. The French infantry had captured the guns, and Napoleon had defeated Wellington at Waterloo.
It's a great story, isn't it? And absolutely true. What is rarely mentioned, however, is the tiny detail that was ignored that day, leading to a massive reversal of fortune. It was truly a "little thing," but it turned Napoleon's victory into a defeat so devastating that it not only ended the emperor's dominance and reputation but also established the word Waterloo as a historical synonym for "a final comeuppance."
At that time, both the French and the English artillery utilized muzzle-loading cannons. They were made of bronze, weighed well over a ton, and were fired by setting a glowing fuse or small flame to a narrow firing touchhole that was drilled through the solid bronze. Traditionally, when troops would overrun an opponent's cannon, headless nails were hammered down into that touchhole, rendering the cannon useless.
On that day, before the battle, several infantry privates had searched in vain for a cask of nails. "Nails!" they called. "We must have nails!" Their confusion was ignored.
As you already know, Napoleon defeated Wellington. He overran the British troops and took possession of their artillery. For several hours the battle raged back and forth until, finally, a group of Wellington's men got their cannons back. Soon another group recaptured theirs. And, suddenly, the British cannons that should have been out of service were being turned back upon the French, firing into them, turning victory into defeat.
Witnesses said Napoleon stood on a hill above the battle, beside his horse, with his hands behind his back. He could do nothing but watch his men — soldiers who had already defeated Wellington's forces — be blasted to pieces.
Nails! Just a few nails, and the British cannons would have been out of action. It was the smallest of elements in a massive clash of men and steel, but had that one detail not been overlooked, history books would now contain the record of a French victory ... and of Wellington's Waterloo.
Today, the lesson we learn from Napoleon's gaffe is stunning in its combination of simplicity and gravitas. Knowing how well the 72,000 French troops were equipped and provisioned, it is almost inconceivable that a small, overlooked detail could matter so much. But it did. Napoleon's men were the best in the world. On the battlefield that day, they had guns and horses. They had swords and lances and cannons. They just didn't have any nails.
Britain and France. Napoleon and Wellington. The Battle at Waterloo will be remembered forever. It was a clash of nations.
And the whole thing was decided by a fistful of nails.
CHAPTER 3A Little Thing ... like taking offense
You can always choose how you act, despite how you feel.
NOT TOO LONG AGO, THE CANYONS SCHOOL DISTRICT in Salt Lake County, Utah, built a brand-new high school. By mailed ballots, the board of education allowed the future students of Corner Canyon High School in the town of Draper to vote and choose the new school's mascot. By an overwhelming margin, the students enthusiastically chose "Cougar." The students agreed that, even in a cheer, nothing sounded better than "We are the Cougars! The Cougars! The Corner Canyon Cougars!"
To most, the mascot was not a shocking choice. The cougar has been embraced as a mascot in Utah for quite some time. Brigham Young University in Provo, the fourth-largest employer in the state, selected the cougar as its mascot in 1924, and ever since, the BYU Cougars have been a source of pride. Their academic and philosophical influence is worldwide, and their athletic programs are among the elite, having won ten national championships in five different sports. This includes a football national championship in 1984.
Another reason the mascot choice seemed so appropriate: actual cougars live in actual Utah canyons. In fact, there is a 10,409-acre tract of uninhabited backcountry protected by the Bureau of Land Management. Its official name is "Cougar Canyon Wilderness."
Together, all the facts seem to present an impressive argument for choosing the cougar as a mascot for the new school. But none of that mattered to the Canyons Board of Education. After receiving several calls from presumably horrified people, the superintendent announced the board's refusal to name the cougar as a mascot.
Why?
"Because the word has a derogatory connotation," he explained, "and might be offensive to older women."
Really? Wow!
More and more often these days, the tail is wagging the dog. One person who claims to have been greatly offended is immediately afforded a media platform that is simply unavailable to hundreds of people who are apparently too boring to offer us anything more than common sense.
Even a consensus of leaders who have proven their common sense and value over time are no longer allowed to make decisions without threats and demands from those who claim offense and those who claim they might one day be offended. We hear the loud demands of those who yell, "What I believe is just as valid as anything you or anyone else believes! I will NOT be marginalized!" Many of these people — often simply because they obstruct traffic or interrupt a meeting or pitch a tent in the doorway of someone's business — are invited to share their beliefs on television. Even more incredibly, their behavior often leads to funding by government programs. It is interesting to note how consistently they are treated with tolerance by the very people whose lives they are disrupting.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Little Things by Andy Andrews. Copyright © 2017 Andy Andrews. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction, xi,Author's Note, xvii,
Preface, xxv,
1 A Little Thing ... like a one, 1,
2 A Little Thing ... like a few nails, 7,
3 A Little Thing ... like taking offense, 13,
4 A Little Thing ... like a three-letter question, 23,
5 A Little Thing ... like a sixteenth of an inch, 39,
6 A Little Thing ... like quitting, 49,
7 A Little Thing ... like the other end, 55,
8 A Little Thing ... like an increase in understanding, 61,
9 A Little Thing ... like perspective, 69,
10 A Little Thing ... like an air rifle, 75,
11 A Little Thing ... like being different, 83,
12 A Little Thing ... like a half nickel, 89,
13 A Little Thing ... like change, 95,
14 A Little Thing ... like the best, 117,
15 A Little Thing ... like opening our eyes to what is already there, 137,
Not the Conclusion, 147,
A Reader's Guide, 151,
About the Author, 163,