The Importance of Details

April 22, 2014                Overcast                Tuesday

Recently I was inspired by a TV show, where the famous singer Fei Xiang was invited as the special guest. When he was releasing his new Micro-movie shot recently, he involved himself in almost everything, big or small, in the preparation stage. He said that he pays a lot of attention to details because it is the details that count and make your work unique. It’s absolutely true!

It’s the same with writing. For example, if you simply describe somebody as being independent, or kind-hearted, or optimistic, it applies to everybody, because it’s too general. But a particular story about that person showing this particular quality is irreplaceable, because what one has done will not be repeated by someone else in exactly the same way. It is through the details that you make your work especially impressive and worth reading.

While you’re dealing with details, you enjoy the process, which is, to a great extent, more important than the result, because not all human efforts will result in success. Moreover, quick success will not bring you so much happiness as a slow one, because easy got, easy gone. Therefore, we should pay more attention to details.

The same idea is true with world-famous brands. Study carefully and you will find that the biggest advantage of these brands over others is that they pay more attention to details. It is the details that make the price soar.  But it is also the details that displays craftsmanship and it is the craftsmanship that make the product appreciable. That’s why even if the price is astonishingly high, it will not be difficult for the product to find a customer for it. A few days ago when I was walking in the street, I was attracted by a ground stall—a craftsman was making on the spot toy bicycles and decorative trees with aluminum wires of various colors. The tool he used was just a special pliers. I was amazed at how he could make a beautiful and delicate toy bicycle in just a few minutes and that he could make complicated circles and twists with just one segment of the wire. And you could hardly find any flaws in the toy. I couldn’t help buying one together with a little girl and a little boy for just 25 yuan. It’s really not expensive for such sophisticated work—a piece of art, I’d rather say. With such craftsmanship, he could make a living!

Sadly, nowadays people are not as patient as before. They want quick money, quick food, quick train, quick service, quick whatever and even quick diploma but are throwing away more and more opportunities to admire the details or the process. What a tragedy!

From the above we can see how important details are. So slow down a bit, cherish the details, and in time you’ll create a beautiful land of your own!