"Minutia"

Don’t ever forget that “minutia” is often not minutia at all.

The story below is from legendary basketball coach John Wooden, who coached UCLA to 10 national championships in a 12-year span:

“Over the years I have become convinced that every detail is important and that success usually accompanies attention to little details. It is this, in my judgment, that makes the difference between champion and near champion.

One of the little things I watched closely was a player’s socks. No basketball player is better than his feet. If they hurt, if his shoes don’t fit, or if he has blisters, he can’t plan the game. It is amazing how few players know how to put on a pair of socks properly. I didn’t want blisters, so each year I gave in minute detail a step-by-step demonstration as to precisely how I wanted them to put on their socks----every time. Believe it or not, there’s an art to doing it right, and it makes a big difference in the way a player’s feet stand the pounding of practice and the game. Wrinkles which cause blisters can be eliminated by just a little attention.

In the majority of cases, the only difference between the truly start performer and just a good player is merely the perfection of a few minor details or fundamentals. This doesn’t occurs by chance or by accident, but by determination, study, and industriousness.”