It's the tiny things that make the biggest difference

'Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!’

 Dr Seuss, ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go’

 As I woke up on the morning of our recent Power Up Festival, I hadn’t imagined for one minute that Dr Seuss would feature in our panel discussions but feature he certainly did. Life is full of surprises!

 'Oh, the Places You’ll Go’ was cited by Mark Evans, the MD at Direct Line, as one of the books that had influenced him most. Unlike many who might have chosen grander works to impress the crowd, Mark was as down to earth as ever in his choice. ‘It’s the little things that make the biggest difference’, I thought as he talked passionately about how much that book had inspired him.

Indeed, the theme from our last panel of the day was exactly that. Getting Better, Learning from the Past, looking to the future. We all agreed that the it's the little things that really matter that can have the greatest impact on our wellbeing. The amazing Rose McGowan set the scene for us by talking about wanting to be just 10% better in all that she does. A wonderful thought for two reasons. It’s amazing how often you can achieve something when it’s a realistic target. Equally, it makes such a difference to your life if you can constantly find ways of moving forward, no matter how slowly or in what direction. The Japanese concept of Kaizen speaks to precisely this thought. Lots of tiny incremental changes are the most effective way to build lasting impact. How true that is for all of us as human beings.

 Of course, it’s not just the little things that make the biggest difference. It’s also the ones that cost us nothing. Anna Hill at WW (formerly Weightwatchers) reminded us all that there is beauty in the most basic of human behaviours. Kindness, generosity and keeping an eye out for others. They are all things that can have huge impact and often it’s the tiny, unexpected dash of kindness, for example, that can make the biggest difference to how someone feels about themselves.

 I often worry how to give women in any audience I am talking to, the sense that they matter and make sure that their voices are heard. Rose McGowan had the answer for me as she reminded me about it during our panel discussion. ‘Always take the first question from a woman Suki, that’s a good start’. So simple and yet such a powerful way of empowering women in a room.

And perhaps, the most profoundly simple advice of the session and maybe the day came from Princess Basma (HH Sayyida basma Al Said) the Founder of The Whispers of Serenity Clinic in Oman. In the face of the most challenging year of our lives potentially, hers was a reminder that we should all appreciate what we have, every day. So much of what we used to take for granted has been taken away from us recently. If that’s not a reason to be grateful for what we do have, nothing is and we know, of course, of the power of a gratitude diary when it comes to our own wellbeing.

So, there you have it. On a day when we heard from business leaders globally, A Dame, two Sir's three Dr's and a royal presence, we were reminded most of all that it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. A key lesson from our Festival, an enduring lesson for life and a reminder that, in Dr Seuss’s own words, 

‘You’re off to great places.

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way’

To learn how you can reset your workplace and put wellbeing and performance at the heart of your business, do get in touch suki@letsreset.com

The photos in this article are taken from the book LET'S RESET By Suki Thompson with portraits by Rankin. This coffee table book has inspiring stories and top tips for wellbeing, resilience and performance from over 100 leaders and is available from all good online bookshops.

A Huge thank you to everyone who made our POWER UP festival a huge success. You can still watch the programme on 'catch up' or sign up to letsreset+ via www.letsresetplus.com