0:01 You're probably watching this while
0:03 doing something else. Maybe scrolling
0:06 through your phone, maybe eating, maybe
0:07 half working on something in another
0:11 tab. And that's fine. I do it, too. We
0:13 all do. But this matters more than you
0:15 think. The way you do one thing is the
0:17 way you do everything. And I'm not
0:19 trying to sound like some motivational
0:21 speaker. I mean this literally. The way
0:23 you approach the smallest tasks in your
0:25 life, the ones you think don't matter,
0:27 they're actually programming how you
0:29 approach everything else. Let me
0:31 explain. You ever have one of those days
0:33 where everything just clicks? You wake
0:36 up early without hitting snooze. You
0:38 make your bed. You go to the gym. You
0:41 get your work done. You eat clean. By
0:42 the end of the day, you feel
0:45 unstoppable. Like you could take on the
0:48 world. Then there are the other days.
0:50 You sleep in. You skip your routine. You
0:53 tell yourself it's fine. It's just one
0:55 morning. But then the rest of the day
0:58 falls apart, too. You're unproductive.
1:01 You're lazy. You make excuses. And by
1:03 the time you go to bed, you feel like,
1:05 "What happened?" Most people think these
1:08 are just random good and bad days. That
1:11 motivation comes and goes. That
1:13 sometimes you have it and sometimes you
1:16 don't. That's not what's happening.
1:18 Every single action you take is either
1:21 building momentum or killing it. And
1:23 your brain keeps track of all of it.
1:25 When you hit snooze instead of getting
1:28 up, you just taught yourself that not
1:29 following through is fine. When you
1:32 leave your bed unmade, you started your
1:34 day with a loss. Your brain registered
1:37 that you had one task and you didn't do
1:40 it. Now it knows quitting is an option.
1:42 People don't realize this, but your
1:44 brain doesn't separate small stuff from
1:46 big stuff. It doesn't know the
1:48 difference between skipping a workout
1:51 and abandoning a goal. It just knows you
1:53 said you'd do something and then didn't.
1:55 That's the pattern it learns. You think
1:57 you can slack off on things that don't
2:00 seem important and still show up when it
2:02 matters. But everything you do is
2:05 building your identity. Every single
2:08 decision is proof of who you are. Sloppy
2:10 with small things means sloppy with
2:13 everything. Make excuses for easy tasks.
2:15 And those same excuses show up when
2:18 things get hard. You can't be lazy at
2:20 home but focused at work. You can't be
2:22 undisiplined with your health, but
2:24 disciplined with your career. Your
2:26 habits don't live in separate boxes.
2:28 They're all connected. The person
2:31 showing up late to small things shows up
2:33 late to important things. The person
2:36 half-assing easy projects half-asses big
2:38 opportunities. This works both ways,
2:40 though. When you start treating small
2:43 tasks like they matter, everything else
2:47 improves. Make your bed, that's a win.
2:50 Show up on time. Another win. Reply to a
2:52 message immediately instead of putting
2:55 it off. That's momentum building. Each
2:57 small action proves to yourself that
2:59 you're someone who follows through.
3:01 You're not just washing dishes. You're
3:04 proving you finish what you start. Stack
3:06 enough of these wins and something
3:09 shifts. You stop needing motivation for
3:11 every little thing. You've built an
3:13 identity around being someone who does
3:15 what needs to be done. So when something
3:18 difficult shows up, it doesn't feel
3:20 impossible. You've already proven a
3:23 hundred times that day you can do hard
3:25 things. Most people wait for big moments
3:28 to try. They think they'll magically
3:30 become disciplined when it counts, like
3:32 they're saving their effort for when it
3:35 really matters. Discipline doesn't work
3:37 like that. You don't flip it on and off.
3:39 You either have it or you don't. And you
3:41 build it through small, boring,
3:44 repetitive actions nobody sees. Want to
3:45 know if someone's actually going to
3:48 succeed? Don't look at their goals.
3:49 Don't look at what they say. Look at how
3:51 they handle mundane stuff. Do they clean
3:54 up after themselves? Show up on time.
3:56 Finish small tasks before starting new
3:58 ones. If they can't handle small things
4:01 with intention, they won't handle big
4:03 things either. Real example, you're
4:06 trying to build something, a business, a
4:08 channel, whatever. You tell yourself
4:11 you're all in, willing to do whatever it
4:13 takes. You've got the vision and the
4:16 plan, but you procrastinate on research.
4:18 You skip boring tasks because they're
4:21 not exciting. You tell yourself these
4:23 don't matter because the real work is
4:27 strategy, execution, big picture stuff.
4:29 You're already failing, though. The way
4:31 you handle small tasks shows exactly how
4:33 you'll handle important ones. This
4:36 pattern is everywhere. Relationships.
4:38 You can't be present for small
4:40 conversations, but expect to handle big
4:43 ones. Fitness. You can't skip stretching
4:45 but expect to show up for intense
4:48 workouts. Work. You can't ignore details
4:50 but expect the big picture to work out.
4:52 Same person leaving dishes in the sink
4:55 leaves projects half finished. Same
4:57 person always 5 minutes late misses
5:00 deadlines. So what do you actually do
5:02 about this? Pay attention. Not because
5:05 small stuff matters by itself, but
5:07 because of what it represents. Every
5:10 action either reinforces who you are or
5:12 builds who you want to become. Every
5:14 decision trains you to be a certain type
5:17 of person. Want to be someone who
5:19 follows through? Start following through
5:22 on everything. Especially stuff that
5:25 feels pointless. That's where real work
5:27 happens. That's where you build the
5:29 foundation. These sound basic because
5:33 they are. But basic doesn't mean easy.
5:34 Most people can't do basic things
5:37 consistently. That's why most people
5:39 don't get results. They're waiting for
5:41 some massive breakthrough while ignoring
5:43 fundamentals. There will be days you
5:46 slip where you're tired or stressed or
5:48 just don't feel like it. Nobody's
5:50 perfect. But on those days, the small
5:52 stuff matters even more. That's when
5:55 you're really deciding who you are.
5:56 Anyone can be disciplined when
6:00 motivated, when everything's going well,
6:02 when they're excited. The real test is
6:05 what you do when you don't feel like it.
6:07 When you're tired, when nobody's
6:09 watching, when it would be easier to
6:12 skip it, that's the moment that matters.
6:14 That's where you either build discipline
6:16 or break it. You don't need massive
6:18 transformation. You don't need to
6:21 overhaul your entire life overnight.
6:23 Just treat the next thing in front of
6:26 you like it matters. Over time, these
6:28 small decisions compound. They build a
6:31 version of you capable of things the old
6:34 you couldn't do. They create momentum,
6:36 making hard stuff feel manageable. They
6:38 prove you're not the person who gives up
6:42 anymore. The opposite is true, too.
6:44 Small, bad decisions compound just as
6:47 fast. Before you know it, you've built a
6:48 pattern of quitting that shows up
6:51 everywhere. Every decision is a vote for
6:53 the type of person you want to be. You
6:56 don't need to win every vote, but you
6:58 need to win most of them. And the only
7:00 way to win most of them is to start
7:02 winning the small ones. That's when you
7:05 find out who you actually are. And if
7:07 you don't like who that is right now,
7:10 you can change it. Not tomorrow, not
7:12 next week, with the next decision you
7:14 make. The way you do one thing is the
7:17 way you do everything. So, how are you
7:19 doing things right now? Are you building
7:22 momentum or destroying it? Are you
7:23 proving to yourself you're someone who
7:26 follows through or someone who quits?
7:29 Every single action counts. Every single
7:32 decision matters. And that person, the
7:34 one you're building with every small
7:37 choice, is either going to achieve
7:40 everything you want or stay exactly
7:42 where you are right now. The choice is
7:45 yours. But you're making it right now,
7:49 whether you realize it or not.
7:51 I write a weekly letter called a Last
7:54 Stair. It's free, simple, and written to
