Even The Smallest Component Matters
Finding teaching moments in my son's favorite hobby
First, an apology:
Last Friday, a new Weekly Sweep should have been published. However, last Friday also happened to be the first day of summer vacation, and any thoughts of writing were quickly replaced by pool splashing, garden planting, and general sun soaking uping. Hopefully, you can forgive me for the missed opportunity to pop into your inbox that day.
I have always been a proponent of the idea that a lesson can be found in anything. In fact, I think the most profound lessons are taught in those seemingly small happenstance moments.
As I was contemplating what to write for today’s post, I had one of these moments with my oldest son, and I knew that the lesson we experienced was what I needed to write about today.
You see, my oldest son’s favorite hobby is airsofting. It requires an incredible amount of gear that seems reminiscent of a soldier preparing for actual battle. Indeed, many of the men he plays with are soldiers or veterans.
When he goes to the airsoft field, he’s usually gone all day and into the night. This Saturday, however, he came home before dinner with a story about being hot, tired, and too sore to continue. Fishy, but who am I to question the ups and downs of airsoft battling?
Sunday, the whole story came out. His gun had broken. These are not inexpensive pieces of equipment. They are fixable, but that, too, can be costly and time-consuming. Saturday night, once the rest of the family had gone to sleep, my son started the repair process. When he got to the gearbox, there was an issue. Some of the gears had stripped, and when he opened the box, pieces flew everywhere.
He was able to recover all of the pieces except one- The smallest piece.
We spent a while crawling around the floor, looking under furniture and cushions, but there was no sign of it anywhere. My son made an offhanded comment, “It’s crazy that such a tiny piece can keep the whole gun from working.”
BOOM! A perfect teaching moment. He’s been applying to jobs all over the place the last couple of weeks, so I took the business route for this particular lesson. I told him that that was a great lesson in business (and life).
Even the smallest component matters.
Whether you are a dishwasher, a custodian, or a door greeter— you matter. Your attitude, effort, and consistency matter. If you do your job to the best of your ability, it lifts the whole company. If you slack in your assignments, the entire company suffers. It’s a domino effect.
When you are out and about and interacting with other people, remember that they are not just janitors, street sweepers, or garbagemen— they matter. Doing their job well means other people can work more effectively. Everything is interconnected.
The point is, even the smallest component, whether in a gun, a company, a church, or a family, matters. We all matter.
This Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us and this country. They matter. Their families matter. Their friends matter. You matter. Have a safe holiday!
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No need to apologize, Amanda! The first day of summer vacay is a big deal…and I’m glad your kiddos had a wonderful time! 😊
Your example, is so true, with everything in life. There are steps in life to where you want to be, no matter what the job. Someone may want to be a nurse, but there are so many steps to get to that profession. It's kind of like doing a jigsaw puzzle, if it's a 100 piece puzzle and you have 5 pieces missing, it's going to affect the whole puzzle.