Little things often make big differences in our lives.  We all know this, but sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to some of the little things we do and to their consequences, either negative or positive.  A recent experience provides a reminder that we need to pay attention to little things from time to time.

A Tale of Two Wallets

A couple of months ago, I was talking with my friend, Frank, at our club.  He told me that he was going to have hip replacement surgery in the near future.  I asked him why.  He said, “I guess, because I’ve been wearing and sitting on this wallet for the last forty years.

“Wow!” I thought.  Seemingly little things can have a significant impact on us.  Then I forgot about Jerry’s hip and moved on with life.

In early February, I had an accident on the handball court.  The ball hit dead, I stopped, and one of my opponents did not.  The result is that I was knocked backwards and off balance, and fell to my rear.

Naturally, I tried to break my fall with my left (thank goodness!) hand, and broke my wrist in the process.

Let me provide a brief bit of background on my personal wallet and phone habits.

1. I’ve always carried my wallet, which is not nearly as big as Frank’s, in my right front pocket.  There had been a rash of pick-pocketing where I was living in Germany many years ago, and I decided the right front pocket was a safer place for my wallet.  It has been there for many years, perhaps allowing me to avoid Frank’s fate.
2. With my right rear pocket open, there was a natural place to keep my handkerchiefs.
3. Then, with my right front pocket occupied with my wallet, I carried my cell phone in my left front pocket.

All this worked fine until I broke my wrist.  The healing process required that I wear a cast, which greatly limited use of my left hand.  As a result, I had to make some changes to long-standing habits.

1. I shifted my wallet from my right front pocket to my right rear pocket.
2. Since my left hand is essentially covered, except for finger exposure, I moved my phone to the right front pocket.
3. Not that it matters, but I moved my handkerchief to the left front pocket where I found I could grab it most of the time with squeezed fingers.

Life went on for more than a month.  Then, I began to have a significant pain in my right hip.  It was the kind of dull pain that made it difficult to sleep and caused me to move around a lot.  Then, I found myself on a two-hour road trip, and the same dull pain was exacerbated.

When something like this happens, I tend to think what might have changed to create a problem and the uncharacteristic pain in my right hip.  I knew a few things:

1. I had not fallen, tripped or stumbled in any way to create a problem with the hip.
2. I wasn’t doing anything different with my work routine that might have created an issue.
3. My current workout routine consists of walking, since other activities are somewhat limited, and I have made no changes in shoes, distances or other routines that might cause an issue.

I thought about this for a few days and, frankly, was stumped, and continued to be bothered by the pain in my hip.

Yesterday, while reading at my conference table, I realized, subconsciously at first, and then, consciously, that my wallet in my right rear pants pocket was pushing hard into my right hip.  Immediately, I grabbed that offending wallet and put it on the table.   I felt some almost instant relief, although the dull pain was still there.

I shifted my wallet back to my left front pocket right away.  That choice was simple.  I reach for my phone, which I put in my right front pocket, much more frequently than my wallet. My non-offending handkerchief remained in my right rear pocket.  I carried things the new way for the rest of the day and last night.

When I woke up this morning, I realized that I had slept all night, and that virtually all of the dull ache was gone from my hip.  And I’m doing fine as the day progresses today.

What’s the Point?

Little things in our lives can have big consequences.  In my case, the consequence of changing my wallet carrying habit created a significant problem with hip pain in the short run.  Frank probably quit noticing the bulge he was sitting on over the years, and just learned to live with whatever issues arose with his hip.

Who would have thought that the way a man carries his wallet could have health consequences?  Perhaps the same is true for how women carry their purses.

I don’t want to go overboard with this little story, but I’m paying attention to the little things I do each day and looking for one or two that, with a little change or tweak, might provide a significant benefit.

You might want to do the same thing.

Come to think about it, it is probably a good idea to apply this little lesson to your business. For example, how is your phone answered? Do you return phone calls timely?

Take a few minutes and look around you.  You might not have to wait until you need a hip replacement or have a dull and persistent ache in your hip to make a little change that can make a big difference.

Until next time, Be Well!

Chris