LTM - 19. What Is Easy to Do Is Easy Not to Do

19. What Is Easy to Do Is Easy Not to Do
One of Jim Rohn’s most quoted sayings, “What is easy to do is easy not
to do,” has become a foundational pillar in the little-things-matter
concept. It has become clear to me that most people know in their gut the
simple things they need to do to achieve their personal best; they just
don’t do them with consistency.
We know we should listen without interrupting, but we still find
ourselves interrupting. We know we need to finish our projects on time,
yet we find ourselves missing deadlines. We know we should remember
someone’s name, yet we don’t pay attention when introduced. We know
we should answer that email or return that phone call, yet we keep putting
it off. LITTLE THINGS do matter. In the words of legendary basketball
coach John Wooden, “Little things make big things happen.”
Being consistent in doing the LITTLE THINGS you know you should do
has many positive benefits beyond the obvious desired outcome of
achieving your goals. You become more respected and admired. You
develop new friendships and build deeper relationships. You feel better
about the person you are becoming.
So, why don’t we do the LITTLE THINGS that are easy to do? The reason is
because they are so-o-o-o easy not to do—to neglect, to procrastinate, to
promise ourselves that we will do it tomorrow.
Another reason was identified by Napoleon Hill years ago: ―A big success
is made up from a great number of little circumstances each of which
may seem so small and insignificant most people pass them by as not
being worthy of notice.”

What’s the reason you aren’t consistent in doing the LITTLE THINGS you
know you should do? Perhaps you have never focused on the importance
of LITTLE THINGS. After all, how much of an impact could letting a few
days go by before sending a written thank-you note to a prospective
employer? In my mind, a lot—your competitor will get the job!
Or perhaps another inhibiting factor to our productivity comes into play.
In a recent interview on a popular blog for aspiring entrepreneurs, I was
asked: What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in order to
achieve your goals? My answer: laziness.
I certainly know the LITTLE THINGS I need to do (I have been making a
list of them for over 25 years) and I understand their importance. To this
day, though, I have to push myself to do the LITTLE THINGS I know I need
to do.
I also want to point out that the habits you exhibit in your professional
life are often a reflection of your personal behavior. If your bedroom is a
mess, then your car is probably a mess. If you don’t have the discipline
to clean your home and car, you will likely struggle with having the
discipline to do the LITTLE THINGS required of you to achieve your
professional goals. You can’t be one person at home and a different
person at work. You are who you are!
LTM Challenge
If you want to achieve more in your life, if you want to grow as a person
and achieve your personal best, then you must become a person who does
the LITTLE THINGS that are both easy to do and easy not to do. This will
likely be one of the greatest challenges you will ever take on, but if you
will make a commitment to use your personal initiative to do the things
you know you should do with consistency, your life can be transformed.
Your greatest successes in life
come from your disciplined effort
in doing the easy things that are easy not to do.