There was a news item this morning about a nun who died in the 19th century. She performed no miracles and did nothing particularly special. Yet she has been proclaimed by the catholic church as one of the greatest saints of our time.

Yesterday she had 15,000 visitors to her thigh bone in Liverpool. Another part of her sainted body is actually in orbit around the earth.

Why?

She’s the saint of making small sacrifices. Of doing small things well.

And that’s her secret.

It occurs to me that the difference between an ordinary business and a great business is doing the small things well.

It’s not about last-minute all-out attempts. It’s not about gargantuan efforts or grand plans. And it’s not about enduring extreme pain or discomfort to get where you are going.

It’s about the little things you do to grow your business every single day.

It’s about the small things you do well which make your customers appreciate you.

It’s the little tokens of care, which make customers want to refer you.

And above all, it’s about being consistent. Doing the right things every day.

The thing is, when you approach it on the microscopic level – the little things you do on their own don’t appear to make a difference. You can’t see the results. But if you zoom out and expand the time frame, the picture is completely different.

The cumulative difference is big.

Little streams make big rivers – as the french say. And in Peru? “Little by little one walks far.”

Just take the next small step…