Little Things Make a Big Difference

I was mulling over some code today, and somehow I saw that if I could make some tiny changes to the testing procedure, it would save plenty of minutes per test. And since we did OT till 11 pm today for the testing, the time saved all adds up.

So it is with the little things of our lives. There were two cafes side-by-side selling coffee. One sold coffee that fluctuated greatly in quality. In the morning the coffee was great, but in the afternoon, it tasted like mud, and at dinner, it tasted so-so.

But the other cafe served coffee that was delicious all around the clock.

The thing was, the two cafes had the same kind of coffee beans, same type of staff (college students part-timers) and even the same kind of customers (yuppies).

What made the difference? Just a white little line.

The secret to the latter's luscious lattes was a small line drawn on every coffee pot, just an inch above the bottom. Every time the coffee level touched the white line, the staff would immediately set a new pot to boil, so that if the coffee ran out from the previous pot, the staff wouldn't have to keep the customers waiting for a fresh pot to boil.

The only cost was an additional 15 seconds to put the new pot on the stove. The outcome was a brew of consistent quality, since the staff didn't have to rush the next pot of coffee.

Sometimes the most dramatic differences are made by a very small change.

• Like the use of the stirrups in riding a horse.
  
• Like the thumb on our hand.
  
• Like a pair of dimples for a smile.
  
• Like a pimple on a flawless face. ('Nuff said.)
  
• Like praying a 5-minutes prayer before starting the day.
  
• Like squeezing time to read a good book on the MRT.
  
• Like buying a small gift to bless your colleagues.
  
• Like giving your parents a hug or a greeting every time you come back home.
  
• Like kneeling down to talk to a child at his/her level.
  
• Like packing your bag before you sleep instead of doing it in the morning. (Especially for sleepyheads.)
  
• Like a sincere smile when you meet your friends.
• Like a simple word of encouragement at the right time.

It made me think about how I can be more effective in serving God in my workplace, in my family, in ministry, etc. I realised there's a lot of things I'm not effective as I can be, because I neglect this simple principle Jesus taught: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke 16:10)

To end with this true story (about half a century ago):

The doctors in the paedatric ward were always wondering what made the children in the ward love one of their doctors very much. He didn't have much in the way of experience - he was the youngest among them, and neither was he a very sanguine or funny person. But the way the children instantly warmed up to the doctor whenever he visited their bedsides was so different from the other doctors.

So one day, the doctors decided to shadow this young doctor on his night shift to see what his secret was. And this is what they saw:

For each and every child in the ward, the young doctor gently tucked in each child, planting a tender goodnight kiss on his/her forehead.

It's the tinest things in life that often make the biggest difference.