Doing the Little Things Right

I would like to break off from my normal beef advocating spiel and move into something that is more personal.  This is a life lesson I have learned from showing cattle.  You need to do the little things right everytime, day in and day out.  That is the definition of success.

Whether you are showing cattle, or practicing to become the next sports legend, or maybe even trying to reach that coveted "A" in a tough class, you need to do the little things right.  

I grew up showing hair steers, and anyone that has shown these knows the dedication it takes to keep them hairy, even in the winter, let alone those hot, Arizona summers.  Keeping hair on my cattle meant that, after chores, they had to be rinsed with water, given an ice bath, combed, then either blown dry or roto-fluffed and partially dried.  I spent hours working my cattle, and to me, there is nothing more relaxing than working hair - it gives you time to think.  I made sure that my their hair was worked at exactly the right angles, and that every part of that cow was worked.  I made sure not to forget, "legs have four sides," "hair starts at the hoof," and to brush down, forward, then up.

Culmination of genetics, and hard work

Working every day in the chute

This is a lesson I learned by putting in a lot of elbow grease, and the reward wasn't instantaneous.  In fact, it was often months away, at the next show, when I was able to go get that purple banner, or blue rosette.  I have carried this through to other areas of my life.  The chemistry lesson you learned last week and will be tested on could mean the difference between you passing and failing a course, and ultimately, this could affect your graduation time.  Everything is intertwined and eventually you will see the results of your actions.

Some people call me a perfectionist, and I proudly own up to this.  I take the time to do the little things right every time, because the show isn't won on showday.