Returning from a business trip in New York, my daughter and I were riding home on the Acela, sitting at a table in first class, working away on our laptops. When the attendant came by to offer a beverage, Hayley ordered a sparkling water, I ordered green tea. While I don’t remember the brand, the tea was in a silky triangular pouch. “I love these silky tea bags, they make me feel fancy! Details matter.” My daughter looked at me like I solved world hunger. She loved the sentiment and thought it was a great line. 😉

Details do matter!  They can turn ordinary things into special treats on any regular day.  Later in the afternoon when I was back at home, I felt inspired to make my tea at home more special, even without the silky bag.   Instead of popping my ceramic mug into the microwave, I heated the water then used a china cup and saucer. A whole different experience, and yes, I felt fancy!

Details matter in so many aspects of life, in ways that affect how we feel and how we experience the world around us.   Being a very visual person, visual details are especially important to me, but that’s not where the details end…how about how things sound, how they smell, how they feel to the touch?  How about the details of the words we use to communicate? Aside from having an impact on your personal life, details often make or break a business.  Whether it is a service or a product, it’s often the little details that keep you coming back, or conversely, a negative detail that might turn you off.

While the list of details that matter can be endless, here are ten that I came up with without much thought:

• Fresh flowers displayed in an interesting vase or container.
• A cocktail served in a delicate, vintage glass.
• Mood lighting in your home, especially when entertaining in the evening.
• An Uber driver whose meticulously clean car also has water bottles in the cup holders!
• Perfectly tailored clothing.
• Fancy soap in your bathrooms.
• Retail shops that use heavyweight bags with fabric handles – or for that matter, even the 10 cent ‘nice’ bags at the supermarket excite me! (I’m a sucker for nice bags)
• When using disposables: heavyweight plastic plates and heavyweight clear plastic cups  – no paper plates, flimsy plastic plates or red Solo cups!
• A man wearing a luxurious scarf and leather gloves. (Mmmmm!)
• A package wrapped beautifully, with unique tissue paper, gift wrap, ribbon, and handwritten card.

  

Now it’s your turn!  What are the daily details that matter to you?