40+FAB Blog

There is a reason why we are given a little to start off with when we are learning how to handle something new. One of the primary reasons for this could be to check our attitude towards little.

When you are given very little, there are really only two ways to react. Firstly, you can care for it, or secondly you can despise and ignore it. However you react gives a good indication of what you will do if given much.

Some things I found useful about having little, which probably wouldn’t be as noticeable when you have plenty, are as follows:
1. You can easily notice when what you have goes missing or is not performing well.
2. You notice who took it, or what has affected it.
3. You identify the dangers or risks to what you have easily, and
4. You learn how to manage it better.

There are probably many other points you can think of on how having little has taught you to manage what you have really well. I love books, and when I had a few, I knew all the titles, who borrowed them, and what condition they were in. When I increased my library, sometimes people would borrow books, and I would have no idea of who had what, or that any book was even missing. But once I returned to the principles I used to manage my small collection, I tracked down all my books and applied a system to ensure that I always knew where they were. The result is that I still have hundreds of books with some in my possession for at least two decades and looking in great condition too.

The beauty of starting small is that the principles and attitudes you used to deal with little can be scaled to deal with a lot.