KirbyAndersen.com

I love big stuff: big events; big projects; big renovations. Yet over the last couple of months I’ve found myself getting a huge amount of satisfaction - sometimes, downright giddy - over little improvements. Things that other family members may not notice right away. Things that wouldn’t warrant any kind of announcement at church. But great stuff, just the same.

For example, at home:

• Our family just chipped away at some clutter in the basement over the span of a few days. No major work day - just a few minutes here and there. Next thing you know, we’re all finding ourselves going downstairs just to see how great it looks!
• Pulling a few weeds and trimming a few tree branches. Nothing you’d alert the media about, but you find yourself just standing by the curb looking back at your yard.
• Reorganizing a closet, then telling someone to go take a look at it.

Or at church:

• Installing new paper towel dispensers or hand sanitizers.
• Making a few tweaks to the church website.
• Touching up some paint in high traffic areas.

None of these things seem like big deals. But there is some inherent power in making improvements. It’s motivating, energizing, and promotes ambition. Even if nobody else notices directly, if your efforts improve comfort, convenience, service, ambiance - it is a big deal.

Don’t wait for someday when you have a huge chunk of time and/or budget to do the big improvements. Develop a habit of making little improvements.