Most people fail in life because they major in minor things.

Most people fail in life because they major in minor things. – Tony Robbins and here

“Just another second or two, I almost have him in focus…” When being charged by an angry Rhino, which is Major and which is Minor, your life or the perfect photo?

What does that mean?
This is so true. I know so many people that fit in this category in at least one portion of their life. Sometimes, although not as much now as in the past, I am this person. Sad but true.

Do you know anyone who absolutely has to be everywhere on time? Even if it means they don’t have enough time to be properly prepared? They rush a project, and get crappy results, but they get to hand it in on time. To me, that’s what the quote is about. They made a minor thing (the schedule) so important that they ruined the major thing (the project).

What about people who have trouble dealing with other people, who always have to have either the last word, or always be right (even when they aren’t)? They are putting their need to be significant above the other person’s significance, and above any possible relationship. But which is truly more important? Which is the minor thing?

Why is focusing on what is important important?  
That sounds funny, so try putting a pause between the two ‘important’ words, and see if that helps make more sense. Staying focused on what is important is what helps you keep your eye on the ball. It helps you keep the major things front and center. It keeps you from spending too much time focused on that which is minor.

Think about that for a moment. Life is full of details, but how many of the big things would you get done, if all you focused on were the small thing? As an example, if you had a project to build a house, but spent most of your time making the interior trim absolutely beautiful, while not doing anything about the floors, plumbing or electricity, you would fail as a builder.

You’d have the prettiest trim for miles around, but it wouldn’t be much of a house, would it? Now if you aren’t a home builder, this might not be a particularly interesting example. But I would imagine each of us, at some point in our lives, have gotten so involved in the details that we blew it when it came to the bigger picture.

Where can I apply this in my life?
In my opinion, the thing we need to always do is to remember the big picture. What is the final goal? If you need money, do you borrow it, or do you delay purchasing something else until you can make the money you need? The major thing is fiscal solvency. The minor thing is what you need now.

As an example, say you’re unemployed, but you save up enough money for a flashy cell phone. That money could have been put towards a nice shirt and slacks, and paying for a professional resume service. Yes, you wouldn’t have a flashy phone right now, but if you could land a job, you could buy the phone next month, right?

What in your life might be suffering from this inversion? Where in your life are you finding yourself buried in the details? Grab some paper and write these down, along with the bigger picture. Are you spending a lot of time trying to figure out what color you want to paint your car when you haven’t even finished repairing the dents?

Did you find any surprises when you were making your list? I know I did. There were things that I hadn’t recognized as minor that were preventing me from making progress on the big things. Take a moment to look at the pattern of the little things, and then repeat the exercise, looking for anything else in your life that follows that pattern.

Did you find any other minor things that were holding you up? I did, and that’s why I recommended you try it as well. What other things are you stuck on? What else is being held up while you deal with that detail? Is it really that important, or is it a minor thing which is holding up a major thing?

We have talked mostly about projects in your life up to this point. If you’ve already widened your search to include personal growth issues, congratulations, you’re ahead of the game! Where in your life are you working on, or worrying about, minor things? What major things in your life are on hold because of this?

In the end, it’s up to you to decide what is or isn’t major in your life. Keep looking around, keep trying to see the bigger picture or the longer view of things. Try to keep things in perspective. It can make a huge difference in your life, and the quality of it.

From: Twitter, @tonyrobbins
confirmed at : it came off his own twitter feed…
Photo by Chester Zoo