Robin Koval,  co-author of The Power of Small  says that whether it’s finding a job, squeezing the household budget, or just getting through the pressures of a hard day, life’s challenges can be overwhelming.  Where do you start? Robin says “small”.

In her latest book, THE POWER OF SMALL: Why Little Things Make All the Difference. Robin and her co-author, Linda Kaplan Thaler, say we should start small. “Sweating the small stuff” can transform our lives and help us navigate these uncertain times. The way to rebuild our careers, the economy – even the world – is to re-focus our attention on the little things. Click here to listen to the interview.

For more information on Robin, Linda and the book, visit The Power of Small.

Here are some “small ideas” from the book:

• TAKE BABY STEPS: Instead of making a list of big, difficult-to-achieve goals, create an action list and re-envision those goals into “mini-tasks” you can actually accomplish on a day-to-day basis. “Mini-tasks” – successfully completed – can accrue to significant success.

• MAKE SMALL TALK: Embrace “stranger danger” and chat with someone new. Standing in line at the supermarket or job fair? Take off your bluetooth, take out your headphones and talk to the person in line next to you. You’ll be surprised what opportunities come your way as a result.

• GO THE EXTRA INCH: When you’ve completed a task, a memo, a quarterly budget – anything that you’re just glad to be done with — stop and tell yourself you still have one minute left. Spend just those sixty seconds rereading a troublesome paragraph, or adding up the numbers again.

• WATCH FOR CUES AND CLUES: Notice how people communicate nonverbally, like how they place themselves around a conference table, or whether they are smiling with just their mouth, or their whole face at a cocktail party. Such small cues speak volumes.