Here I thought that consultants were supposed to teach their clients a thing or two, but quite frankly, it’s my client that taught me – and it was only three short words.

The mantra of Singer Vehicle Design

A can of spray paint and a blank wall in the midst of a small, neatly organized restoration garage/shop — “Everything is Important”—but it goes so much further than the makings of an enormously expensive, highly optimized vehicle.

“Everything is Important” is indeed a mantra – yes, for Singer Vehicle Design – but it certainly goes far beyond saying that each nook and cranny is well thought out and downright perfect. This chant continues way past building what’s been termed by some of the greatest writers as the very best car on the planet.

And it’s the little things that count most…

To me, “Everything is Important” is one of those life lessons that needs to be thought of every day, in everything you do.

From waking up and seeing the sunrise, to watching the hummingbird in my yard as he takes just enough pollen from the lemon tree to sooth his senses. It’s teaching my son to re-read his writings out loud to know if the tense is correct.  And then watching his exuberance come to life as his AP essay is selected from more than 100 for a literature conference in which eight private schools have participated, and learning that he’ll now present his artistry to an audience of many — but for which he’ll never earn a grade — just plain self esteem.

“Everything is Important” is about character – it’s saying hello to strangers that you pass on the street, and smiling just for the sake of the smile.  It’s watching my neighbor hand wash his cars to precision every weekend on his driveway, not necessarily to keep them clean, but because  he knows it makes his wife happy.  Digging your toes into the fine sand on a beach and finding that less than perfect sand dollar, but keeping it forever just the same.

Me, I’ve always been an optimist…not so much about the glass half full, but more about stopping to smell the roses.  When my son was small, while walking him to school, it was about telling him to look at the nature and think about how lucky we were to live where we did and have such beauty and trees around us.  It’s so much more important than just the neighborhood you live in — it’s the appreciation factor and being in the moment.  The importance that the next breath provides…

Being in the car industry, I’ve learned the art of perfection.  Whether it’s the throaty sound of a Maserati engine, the precise paint on a newly fabricated piece of sheet metal  or the simple elegance of a nickel-plated side view mirror on a bespoke, restored wonder.  It’s the roar of the crowd as the beautiful livery lines up on the grid, and its the awe of the child opening his eyes at his very first auto show.

It’s how when I was a kid, I finally mastered jumping rope — or learning to make a family recipe of “cringle” with just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar.  It’s all important… from the moment we wake to the moment we rest our heads again.  And it all matters.

Quite frankly, its more about the emotion within, than the beauty on the outside.  And it all comes from knowing that if we don’t take notice, we’ve lost another day.  I want to spray paint this one everywhere, to always remember, that everything truly is important.

Taking notice of perfection…