Quiet Courage
The big things are just made up of the little things, so do the little things well.
⚡️ This piece was created for my email newsletter. You can read the original here.
“Greatness is a lot of little things done right day after day after day.” — Ray Lewis
The closer you look, the more you’ll realize that big things are always made up of little things.
Our lives are made up of days. Our careers are made up of individual projects. Our relationships are made up of small decisions.
This is because the big things (our lives, careers, relationships, etc) are intangible — they’re concepts. They don’t “exist”. And since they don’t exist in the physical world, they aren’t actionable.
The little things, on the other hand, are tangible. You can live today, complete projects, and make decisions. Each of these are things on which you can take action. And when you stack them all up, they amount to something big.
Therefore:
- To live a great life, live a bunch of good days.
- To build a great career, complete a bunch of good projects.
- To have great relationships, make a bunch of good decisions which prioritize the people that matter.
The little things, when done well repeatedly, lead to the big outcomes you want.
Quiet Courage
Quiet courage is plain, everyday action. It lives in your belly and causes you to do what needs to be done whether you want to or not. The opposite of quiet courage is procrastination.
Quiet courage can show up in every area of your life. Here are a few examples:
- Exercising regularly.
- Apologizing and accepting responsibility.
- Taking on a long-term, complex project you’d rather not do.
- Facing up to a dead-end situation and addressing it once and for all.
- Keeping your word when it would be more convenient to make excuses.
When you have the option to not do anything, quiet courage is what causes you to take action. It’s not overt, gallant, or likely to receive recognition. It’s hard. It’s real life.
Your life is comprised of moments where you are choosing between timorous avoidance or quiet courage.
Which will you stack?
⚡️ This piece was created for my email newsletter, In Pursuit of Capital.
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