The phrase ‘small is big’ holds many lessons for us

Nothing makes one think more than the phrase, ‘Small is big’. It has many ‘dimensions’, and the main one has a spiritual angle: Love, compassion and being helpful, always. All good and benevolent acts begin with a small gesture of being kind and helpful. And, all great men of today, or of history, have been once ‘small’, just like any of us.

Everything in this universe begins small and with the passage of time becomes big. Second, a small thing or a small act can do things that big ones can’t. And, third, small, in any form, has great charm and beauty that disappear after growing up.

The word ‘small’ is pregnant with many ‘virtues’ that we ought to cultivate. It stands for ‘simplicity, mannerism, action, love and large heartedness’. And, as a friend remarked, it has a striking similarity of sound to the magical word, ‘smile’.

Small has simplicity, and simplicity makes one’s way of life clear, meaningful and purposeful. A person with simplicity of character is loved by everybody. Perhaps, nobody on this earth has been characterised by this other than Mahatma Gandhi, a man, simple and frail in physique but with a Himalayan strength of courage and endurance.

This reminds me of business coach Suzanne Evans, who advises one to be simple, and “always start from small; as the way you do something is the way you do everything.” So, starting small is the way to go big. Your first step is the beginning of a big journey that could give you big name and fame. Move on with small steps; and, one day, you will surprise yourself by the height you have covered.