by Annet Baingana | Apr 26, 2022 | Blog

During an interview with H.E. Paul Kagame, Fred Swaniker asked a question: “You have done some incredibly HARD things, and have transformed Rwanda into a fast-growing economy, among other things; Why do you constantly choose to do these hard things?”

H.E. Paul Kagame answered Dr. Swaniker and said, “Those hard things have to be done; but it starts with doing small things – because, cumulatively, they add up to big hard things. You can make the work of doing hard things simpler by paying attention to the simple small things. There are many small, but very vital things, that are within our reach. For example, almost all of us can keep our surroundings clean. Do we need donors to give us money to keep our homes clean? Yet in keeping our homes clean, we cumulatively, keep our environment clean”.

The point is; there is power in doing small simple things, consistently. I like what John Maxwell says in his book Today Matters. He writes that, “You don’t win an Olympic gold medal with a few weeks of intensive training…There’s no such thing as an overnight opera sensation. Great law firms or design companies don’t spring up overnight…Every great company, every great brand, and every great career has been built in exactly the same way: bit by bit, step by step, little by little…There is no magic solution to success.”

So, it would be fair to say that your secret to success is hidden in small and simple things you do, daily.

What “small things” are you doing today that align with the future that you want?

Remember, “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” – John Wooden.

Watch the interview with H.E. Paul Kagame, by Fred Swaniker here ( Our question of interest is at the 10^th minute): https://bit.ly/3rWFynA.