Sweat the Small Stuff...
Catch the little foxes...
...the little foxes that ruin (spoil) the vineyards! Song of Solomon, 2:15.
We all know that the only thing we can really control is ourselves. Other than that you better get on your knees and thank the good Lord, He's overseeing everything else, including you.
Then again sometimes we can't even control ourselves, depending on the situation and our own heart issues.
My advice though is you need to at least try...Even beyond trying you need to just do it to coin the Nike slogan!
The concept of trying leaves us with too many options of failure. Yet if we have the 'do' mentality, we will strive to accomplish something good.
Details
The small stuff are the details. People love to say 'don't sweat the small stuff', or you'll hear the recommendation about choosing your battles.
Yet we know that it's in the details that we can lose out or it's the skirmishes that can win a battle.
The bible actually puts it this way, 'the little foxes can spoil the vine'. Or the small amount of yeast spoils the whole.
Those things that we neglect, overlook or hope will work out on their own once the dust settles is nothing but another form of procrastination or sticking your head in the sand.
Procrastination (n), procrastinate (v) to put off or defer.
It's those little things that we ignore that end up biting us - you know where, hindering us, costing us or holding us longer than we wanted to be held.
Nothing starts big!
Whatever grows, grows from a small idea, a seed, an inspiration or a word. The tongue is a small thing but it can cause a lot of damage.
Everything is built upon a small thing. That's just the basics! Think of the alphabet. They give you the options to build words, read words and influences. Think about numbers. They give you the mechanics of infinite possibilities.
Sweating the small stuff doesn't mean you have to worry like some obsessive fiend but it does allow you to make adjustments as they happen. The small things that go astray are the same things that build up to escalating situations and circumstances.
Big things don't just happen!
Water in droplet form can erode rock over a period of time!
Nothing just starts big, out of control or chaotic!
Baby steps are how things evolve! Crawl, Walk, Run, each stage is faster than the others.
Embezzlement starts small. Criminal behavior starts small. Addictions start small. Things if they are not nipped as small stuff tend to grow and spread especially when there are no consequences or guidance.
Being overweight starts small - five pounds here, ten pounds there and one morning you wake up with health issues based on excess pounds. Going into debt starts small, use the credit card for a meal - just once, buy that skirt now -.with the thought that i get paid tomorrow, etc.
Taking a stand usually starts with only one person...who usually feels small, and insignificant.
Small stuff
No invention starts off completed and everything needs tweaking until it is what we consider perfection. No matter what someone might say even epiphanies are based on the spirit paying attention to small things.
Then the brain gathers all the pertinent data to form something substantial.
So lets clarify, sweating the small stuff is not my recommendation, but being attentive to them and making the necessary adjustments, so that they do not grow out of your ability to handle them is what proactive behavior is based upon.
Yet you never really want to plan strategically for things that may never happen, but you need to have some idea about it before it comes to fruition. Preparedness.
Preparedness
It forestalls as many corrosive things if one at least has a inkling of how to combat a dilemma as a detail or small stuff.
Checks and Balances
This is a life saver!
Whether you have it done independently or personally, having a set of parameters makes one secure in the knowledge that they can't and won't run amok.
Idle hands! Idle minds!
Rules and limits bring security!
Things to remember...
Nothing starts off big.
It's the little screws that screw with you when you are putting something together or taking something apart.
It's the details that people tend to overlook that give us a better clue to what mystery needs to be solved.
Handling things in small stages leads to success.
Details ignored lead to headaches and heartaches later...
