The Terrifying Small Stuff

When I received an invitation to exhibit my artwork at a local art festival, I didn’t know what it entailed. I accepted the invitation without finding out all the information I needed to know in order to put up an exhibition of my own.

During the two months that followed, I slept for no more than five hours each day, many days, far less.  

So Much to Do, So Little Time to Do it All

There was so much I needed to do, which I hadn’t considered.

Like, I had to get a display system for hanging my work.

I also had to finish up work which was not complete.

Then, an order for stretcher bars was delayed until two days before the exhibition. Moreover, I had to photograph the work.

And I had to figure out which canopy was the best bang for my bucks and on and on it went.

Since this was my first outdoor exhibition, I had nothing in place for such an event. Quite honestly, there were times when I just wanted to throw in the towel and forget about participating in the exhibition. 

Many of those times, I told myself that, if I’d known it would have involved so much agony. I definitely would not have signed up. The funny thing is shortly after I have these thoughts, I also say to myself, ‘I’m glad I didn’t know much about the process.  Because surely, I would have turned down this fine opportunity.’

And a fine opportunity it turned out to be. As I’ve previously mentioned, I met some wonderful people and got some much-appreciated feedback about my work.

The Small Stuff (Details) Can OverWhelm

The lesson I learned from this experience is that we don’t have to have all the information about a situation before we make a decision. So long as information about the major issues is clear,

we don’t have to have all figured out before we make a decision.

So long as information about the major issues i clear, that’s all we need.

Trying to ‘sweat the small stuff’ is bound to discourage you. Actually,

if you know all the details and obstacles ahead of you,  you’ll be too terrified to make a  commitment.

Seriously, the small stuff can turn out to be overwhelming and debilitating; ultimately preventing us from achieving big things. The more information we seek and gather about the very minute details, the more averse we become to taking that risk, and the higher our chances of never accomplishing that very thing.

So, don’t get bogged down in the details.

Master the Small Stuff & Achieve Big Things

My advice:

• Make a decision based on the information you have about the big picture,
• Take a step towards the decision you made and
• The small stuff will fall in place as you take these steps.

Thanks for reading.

Your Turn

Have you missed out on some opportunities because you focused too much on the small stuff? Are you a big picture person or a detail-oriented one? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comments below.