Small things turn into big things. There’s a story behind that. This is your daily message from Chad number 667 to upgrade your mental game today by telling yourself a better story, because the most important story you hear is the story you tell yourself. This message is dedicated to John Brubaker.
Mosquitoes are responsible for far more deaths than elephants or blue whales. Mosquitoes are among the deadliest creatures on Earth due to their role as vectors for diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquitoes cause over 700,000 deaths annually. Elephants cause an estimated 100–500 human deaths per year. This is a tiny fraction compared to mosquitoes. Blue whales cause zero human deaths. They’re gentle giants, feeding on krill and rarely interacting with humans in ways that could be harmful. They weigh up to 441,000 pounds. Their hearts are the size of a car; their heartbeats can be detected from two miles away. The comparison starkly shows how a small creature like a mosquito, which you can barely see sometimes, can have a bigger impact than big things.
Small things don’t get the attention they deserve. Bill Gates made a presentation talking about the issue of malaria. He had a jar on stage and said he had mosquitos carrying malaria in it. He then took the lid off the jar. The audience’s reaction was palpable. We need jarring illustrations (see what I did there?) to get us to address issues. There are hundreds of small things in your life that don’t get the attention they deserve. Small things lead to big things. They cut both ways, negatively and positively. It’s called snowballing, accumulation, or the Sorites Paradox. Small actions repeated enough times can have a big impact. It’s the small things you do (or don’t do) that create the life you enjoy (or don’t enjoy). Daily flossing, consistent relationship bids, and regular checkups add up. John Brubaker in his book The Coach Approach writes, “Great accomplishments in any individual’s career are the result of cumulative effects of hundreds of thousands of smaller activities, sacrifices and achievements behind the scenes that combine to create the finished product.”
The mosquito comparison underscores how size doesn’t dictate impact—small vectors like insects, microbes, or even ideas can wreak havoc if unchecked. Stories of early intervention highlight a universal principle: vigilance and timely action, whether in health, environment, or society, can stop tiny issues from snowballing. Poor Richard’s wisdom still holds: a stitch in time saves nine and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Does this spark any thoughts on small problems you’ve seen grow or be nipped in the bud?
Email me your small action at fromchadsmith@gmail.com. You can find these messages on Spotify, YouTube, and Apply Podcasts, by searching @fromchad. You can read the transcript of this message and hundreds of others at fromchad.com.
