A month or so ago I watched the U.S. Open Golf Championship, which was played at the Oakmont Country Club in western Pennsylvania, which is considered to be one of the toughest golf courses in the world.

Tiger lost.

For those of you that are golfers, there’s some significance in that statement, especially if I told you that all Tiger had to do to win that tournament was shoot 4 over par. (That’s 4 over par, not under.) But Tiger shot 6 over and lost by one stroke to Argentinian, Angel Cabrera, who shot 5 over, becoming the first South American to ever win the U.S Open.

Back in April, 31-year-old Zach Johnson donned his first green jacket after winning the Masters. He finished the week at 1 over par, for a total of 289 strokes. 16 other players, including Tiger Woods, were within 8 shots of the leader. Think about that. For those of you that play golf, that is only one stroke per each nine holes of play over the four days. One little 4-foot putt, one putt that lipped out, one approach shot that missed the right tier on the green and rolled back off, just one time per round of nine where your mind wandered a little.

In personal and professional development it’s often preached to get the big stuff-the big rocks-handled first. Generally, that’s pretty good advice and I’m certainly not advocating forgetting to prioritize. Aligning what you are doing in your life around your personal vision is a great strategy, but it’s the details-the small stuff-that often makes the difference between good and great, between barely getting by and being able to plan effectively for your retirement, between being tied for 17th and taking home the Masters crown and forever having your place in history.

I am a firm believer that success if life begets success in business. With that in mind, here are a few examples of the “small stuff” in four different areas of life that, if implemented, will make a BIG difference in your life.

Spouse/Partner/Family

• Big Stuff – Love them
• Small Stuff – Periodically write notes of admiration for no reason. Cook dinner if you usually don’t. If you have kids, take them to the park on a Saturday and let them sleep in. Surprise them and get home early or go to work late just to ‘hang out.’ LISTEN. Be creative with a birthday or holiday gift and make/create something that would really make someone else’s heart sing.

Health

• Big Stuff – Decide you actually want to be healthy
• Small Stuff – Cut out fast food regardless of how busy you are. But if you must stop at McDonald’s once in a while, at least stop “biggie-sizing” everything! Better yet, learn what foods do what to your body and commit to eating more of the foods that work for you. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink tons of water.

Self-Worth

• Big Stuff – Love yourself no matter what
• Small Stuff – Schedule time for yourself and don’t change your plans. Meditate more often and for longer periods. Volunteer some of your time to make a difference in someone else’s life. Stand up for yourself. Watch less TV. Choose happiness.

Career

• Big Stuff – Increase your tour volume by 25% this year
• Small Stuff – Send handwritten or creative thank you notes to your clients…all of them. Call a handful of your clients each month simply to thank them for their business. Read at least one book a month on relationship-selling or some other worthwhile topic for a year. Invest both time and money in your professional and personal development.

These lists could go on and on, of course. It’s truly the details that make the difference. Think about that as you plan your days and examine what you can do to improve your career with Obeo…and your personal life this year.

Brent Gray, COO