A good friend gave me a copy of "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. It's been one of the best gifts a person could give. I've read, re-read, made notes, folded pages, laid it open, spilled coffee on it and generally used it up because this is one of the books you should read at least once a year.
It's an easy read because the concept is very simple and Jeff Olson is a good storyteller. Applying the Slight Edge means taking small actions and applying them consistently over time to create big results. Simple, positive actions repeated over time.
That's it. Drink one less soda each day. Call one more prospect each day. Exercise for just 10 minutes each day. Save $1 each day. Small, easy things that consistently done will add up to pounds lost each year, sales made, health gained, wealth made. So easy.
So why don't we do them? Because they're just as easy to not do. There's no immediate negative feedback to not doing these things today. And there's no immediate positive feedback to keep us motivated and interested.
We vow to eat healthier so that we'll live longer and not get cancer. But if you have a donut today, it won't kill you or give you cancer right now. There is no immediate negative feedback. If you skip the donut today, there's no immediate positive feedback. You won't hear your cells get healthier. If a button popped off our pants every time we ate a donut, it would be very easy to reach for carrots instead.
Since we don't get feedback either way, it's hard to encourage yourself to keep going day after day when there's no reward right now. That's why it's so easy to not do those simple positive actions - there's no corrective response. You've got to go on for a while with nothing more than a belief that it will pay off.
How do we do that in today's instant coffee, microwave, book-download world? Despite what we see on TV, success doesn't come overnight. It seems to appear from nothing, but it's built on nearly invisible, consistent actions taking place long before the big breakthrough.
The life you have is created piece-by-piece through your actions that are based on your attitude. But unless you are a saint, your attitude changes day-by-day, not always for the best. If we rely on how we feel at the moment about doing the small things we should do, our results will be inconsistent at best. Fortunately, our attitude is a result of our philosophy. And your philosophy is a principal that doesn't change.
The Slight Edge philosophy absolutely believes in the power of small, simple steps that will compound over time. Have a rock-solid, absolute conviction that time will compound your efforts, and it will become a habit to eat well, exercise, and read good books.
Pick up a copy of the Slight Edge and read just a little every day until you're done. Then go back to the beginning with a highlighter and a pen. Take notes. Write your philosophy out and carry it with you. You won't notice any improvement in your life, not the first day or the second or the third. But apply the power of compounding to simple, positive actions repeated over time. Success will sneak up on you sooner than you expected and bigger than hoped-for.
Beth Bridges is the Membership Director of the Clovis Chamber of Commerce in California. She has helped thousands of people get connected through hundreds of networking events with the Chamber and other organizations. Learn more about the Clovis Chamber at http://www.clovischamber.com and read Beth's blog at http://bethbridges.blogspot.com which takes a look at networking from the perspective of someone who's observed many networkers - good and bad.
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