How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything - What It Means

Have you ever heard the phrase "how you do anything is how you do everything"? Let's unpack this quote and examine its meaning for you and I.

I recently came across the quote "How you do anything is how you do everything" and I found it quite interesting.

I've heard various of that quote before, but never that exact phrase, and it got me thinking about the habits and patterns we create in our lives.

Let's unpack this phrase and discuss the implications it can have on your everyday life, in ways big and small.

8 Examples of "How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything"

All behaviour is belief-driven.

The phrase "How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything" reflects this fact - it essentially means that we carry our attitudes and beliefs into every single action we take in life.

Let's look at 8 examples of ways in which this might play out.

1. Work Ethic

A hard worker is a hard worker.

Someone who shows up diligently in one area of their life usually transfers that energy into other areas of their life.

This is because hard working people they take accountability for what they do. For them, it's important that when they start something, they see it through to its completion.

It's for this reason that when I was in school and had to pick partners for group projects, I always aimed to work with who people received good grades on their homework assignments.

A person who consistently puts in the work to get A+ on their personal assignments can be counted on to show up with that same work ethic for group assignments.

On the flip side, those who are quite comfortable with getting lower grades are usually not the best choice for group work...unless you're also comfortable with getting a lower grade.

2. Honesty

Honest people are dependable.

They are calming and the sort of people we always want to be around.

When someone is honest in the little things, like telling the truth about whether or not they took the last cookie in the cookie jar, you know that they can be trusted with bigger things, like paying you back when you loan them money.

Those two things may seem totally unrelated, but how you do anything is how you do everything.

People who tell big lies started with small lies at some point..

At the end of the day, honesty is a character trait, so people who are truly honest endeavour to say the truth regardless of what is at stake.

3. Self-Care

What type of person would you want to look after your kids?

Someone who is disheveled, underslept and grumpy?

Or someone who is alert, presentable, and happy?

The way someone takes care of themselves tells a lot about the way they could take care of us or those we love.

At the end of the day, you can't pour from any empty cup, so we need to look after ourselves in order to be able to give our best to others.

That's why we all aim to be well-dressed and make a good impression at a job interview.

It's generally not because our attire is a core requirement for the job - but it's because we know that the way we dress and carry ourselves tells a lot about our confidence and competence as a whole.

4. Positive Thinking/Enthusiasm

Someone who has a positive outlook believes that they can succeed at anything they put their mind to.

They have a growth mindset, and view challenges as mere bumps on the road to success.

As I've said before, they expect problems and them for breakfast.

Such people are great friends, because not only do they believe in themselves, they also inspire and encourage those they love to reach their full potential also.

How We Do Anything is How We Do Everything - Positive Mindset

5. Charisma

Now perhaps this is a quality that you didn't expect on this list.

How is showing charisma an example of "how you do anything is how you do everything"?

Well, charismatic people are very good in social situations.

They can talk to people of all sorts and make a memorable impact.

Whether they're talking to their grandma or the CEO of a company, they're able to listen and convey their thoughts in the same warm and thoughtful manner.

That's true charisma - the ability to light up a room wherever you are, the ability to tap into the needs and interests of whoever you're with.

Related: 8 Best Books about Charisma

6. Money

Your relationship with money is a reflection of your relationship with yourself, and this transfers over to every area of life.

For example, people who have a habit of impulsive spending often also participate in other high risk behaviours.

According to Mental Health America, generally a person who buys compulsively and gets the urge to shop in response to negative emotions often has problems with relationships and finances as a result of their shopping behaviour.

On the flip side, people who have healthy financial habits usually have good impulse control and are able to delay gratification, which contributes to success in other areas of life.

7. Relationship with Family

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their family.

The way someone treats their family members - especially when they think no one else is watching - tells you a lot about the way they will treat you the more familiar you become.

Someone might appear to be friendly and polite, but then you see them showing contempt towards a parent or mistreating their spouse, giving you a glimpse into what they're really like behind closed doors.

Of course, it's important to allow people the benefit of the doubt because we're all imperfect, and we can never know their whole situation - but you should be careful if you see patterns developing...

8. Interactions with Customer Service Workers

Last but not least, the way people treat customer service workers is a good example of "how you do anything is how you do everything".

Some people treat customer service workers inconsiderately because they view them as just "staff" - an individual with whom they will only have a brief interaction.

However, how a person treats someone who they think they don't need to impress tells you a lot about their character.

No matter how short your interaction with another human is, it should always be approached with dignity and respect.

It has been observed that often, the people who treat service personnel the worst are people who have very little power in their own lives.

They project their insecurity - trying to make another person feel small in hopes of feeling big and important.

But how much power do you really gain from disrespecting someone who is paid to serve you?

How much more refreshing it is to be around someone who treats staff well and realizes that the roles could easily be reserved.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading this post. Did you relate to any of the points above? Comment below!

Remembering that how we do anything is how we do everything can be great motivation to make sure that we're building the right habits and laying the right mental foundations.

When you build good habits and an indestructible mindset, this concept will work powerfully to your advantage!