Little Becomes Big

Two words changed my life.

Even the smallest detail can loom large.

Sometimes, it doesn’t take a lot to make a point or to be profound.

Sometimes, it’s not in the amount that you say; it’s in the power of brevity.

Two words can get the job done just fine. And these two words, when remembered and applied, could very well change the way you run your camp, job, or life.

But we’ll get back to that in a moment.

There is a simple principle that I like to live my life by: “little becomes big”. The little things in our lives often become very big things before we even know it.

Let me give you an example:

If every day after lunch I eat one small cookie -- a cookie of only 200 calories (remembering that most cookies are 300 or 400 calories, but this is a small cookie) and it’s just one a day -- it’s no big deal.

But “little becomes big.”

1 cookie a day = 1,400 calories a week.

1,400 calories a week is 5,600 calories a month.

5,600 calories a month is 67,000 calories a year.

67,000 calories is the equivalent of drinking 39 cups of bacon grease.

“Little becomes big.”

And the “little becomes big” principle is no less true when I think about those two words that changed my life.

The two words: Everything Speaks .

Walt Disney said this: “The importance of the guest experience can be summed up in two words: Everything speaks.”

The thought behind this is simple; the parent and camper experience is manifested everywhere your camp touches them.

Touch points such as your website, Facebook, the cleanliness of your camp, the friendliness of the registration process, even the smell of certain buildings, will affect the perception of your camp.

So as we approach summer, how do you make sure each touch point speaks to the level of service and experience you want to provide?

Remember, everything speaks, and the little things you do, whether good or bad, positive or negative, will become big.

Cory Harrison has directed resident camp programs for more than 10 years with The Salvation Army and the YMCA. Currently, he is the Director of the YMCA Camp Benson in Northwest, IL. He is a life-long camper, an avid reader, and daily cereal eater. Reach him via Facebook: www.facebook.com/coryharrisoncampdirector