We like to think character is revealed in big, dramatic moments — speeches, medals, career-defining crises.
It’s not.
It’s in the tiny, forgettable ones.

1. The coffee order switch​
I once watched a guy get the wrong coffee at a café. The barista apologised, clearly flustered.
He smiled, said “Don’t worry, this is fine,” and drank it. No fuss. No passive-aggressive sigh.

That’s character.

2. The elevator incident​
Years ago, a bunch of kids (including mine) got stuck in a lift at a party. Parents panicked. Tears. Chaos.
Keeping calm, talking them down, troubleshooting the door — that wasn’t heroics. It was just being steady when others aren’t.

3. The trolleys​
Supermarket car park. Three loose trolleys are drifting toward cars in the wind.
Most people pretend they don’t see it. One bloke jogs over, wrangles them back into the bay.
That tells me more about him than his LinkedIn profile ever could.

4. The phone call​
My brother once called me at 2.30 am, drunk, needing a ride home.
I'd already had a shit night's sleep and offered to pick him up earlier, when he refused. But I picked up.
That’s not because I’m a saint — it’s because when it’s inconvenient is when it matters.

5. The kids’ game​
My daughters asked me to play some made-up, chaotic board game they’d invented. The rules changed every two minutes. I could’ve pulled the “I’m busy” card. I didn’t.
Because to them, that 20 minutes meant the world.

6. The “after you” moment​
Standing in the rain, a stranger held the door open for five people in a row before walking in themselves.
He didn’t even make it a big deal. Just… did it.

7. The supermarket queue​
Lady in front of me realised she was short on change for her groceries. Guy behind her tapped his card without saying a word, then went back to scrolling his phone. Didn’t even want thanks.

8. The mistake​
A client once owned up to a major error before I’d even spotted it. No excuses, just, “That one’s on me. I’ll fix it.”
That’s the stuff trust is built on.

We chase the big wins — career milestones, “legacy” moments, bucket list items — but the truth is, life is made of these tiny, blink-and-you-miss-them events.

How you show up in them? That’s the whole story.