Remembering The Power Of The Small Things
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 06:46AM Twenty three years ago today, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 74 seconds after takeoff. It was a tragic day, marking the first time US astronauts had died in flight. It seemed especially painful due to so many school children across the country watching the launch of the first teacher in space. We as Americans had become so accustomed to seeing successful space flights that we were in total shock that something like this could happen.
After a lengthy and thorough investigation, the cause of the explosion was determined to be a faulty "o" ring in one of its solid rocket boosters. The diameter of the rings is .280 inches. That's the diameter of the average pencil eraser. It seems impossible that something so small could cause such a catastrophic event for a shuttle so large, but it reminds us of the need to never overlook or neglect the small details.
As you go through your day, reflect on your own actions. Are you neglecting to address an issue with a co worker that is impacting office productivity? Ignoring an item on your task list because it would be uncomfortable to tackle it? Failing to start improving your health because you're "too busy?" Remember the "o" ring, and get the right things done-Now.