Good evening everybody! Today, I am going to talk about a big concept from one of the books that I have read recently.
A lot of the books I have been reading recently have been quite spiritual but this was far more practical.
This book is ‘The Compound Effect’ by Darren Hardy.
The author
Darren Hardy is a ‘success’ mentor and New York Times best selling author, as well as a keynote speak, entrepreneur and publisher.
In the book, he talks about his growing up and the influence his Dad had on him had such a massive effect on now only the book but his life.
His Dad taught him the principles of the compound effect and gave Darren the blueprint for success without even knowing it!
Darren’s work is fantastic, I often listen to his daily mentorship in the car on short journeys and I really enjoyed reading his book.
So much so, that I feel the need to write about it!
What is the compound effect?
You will probably be familiar with the term ‘compound interest’ in a financial context.
The compound effect is similar.
It is the result of your daily habits, compounded over time that can produce massive results.
Here is the key thing to understand here; the compound effect occurs for negative habits, as well as positive ones.
Take two people who are in the exact situation and position in life.
Person 1 & Person 2
Person 1 starts to:
eat healthier
read for half an hour a day
exercise everyday
produce something every day
focus more attention on their relationships
Meanwhile, person 2 starts to:
eat poorly
watches uninspiring, passive media
slack on their job and clock off early
having just one alcoholic drink after work
neglect precious time with their partner
After a day, there is no noticeable change. After a week, there is no noticeable change.
After a month, person 1 is starting to feel mentally and physically better, and the work they are producing everyday is starting to bring in a little bit of income. Only an extra £20 a week but it is better than nothing! Their partner is recognising their extra efforts and is super proud of them!
Meanwhile, person 2 is starting to look a little bit on the chubbier side, their sleep has been off so they aren't feeling great and the only solution is to bunk off work early for a pint. Their partner has started to notice it too.
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One year later…
Now, we can see the true effects of the compound effect. After one whole year of 5 small habit changes, let’s weigh in on the results.
Person 1 feels absolutely amazing.
The clean diet has reduced the amount of illness they have, their sleep is better and their thoughts are clearer.
Combine this with the exercise they have been doing and they are in the best shape of their life! All their favourite clothes fit them again and they feel supremely confident when they go out now.
A person who reads at an average pace will read 33 books in a year. With this knowledge, they have been able to grow and scale the work they were producing and now it is their full time income! They are able to work anywhere in the world and now have the freedom to travel with their partner.
Their relationship has never been better and now they are thinking of marriage and kids!
Person 2 has had a very different experience.
The poor diet has made them 12kg heavier than they were last year. That is not lean muscle from bulking season either :)
All of the numbing media they have been consuming has made them lose their old sharp and witty responses and also reduced their former creativity.
Their quality of work went down significantly and bunking off early didn’t help their case either. They lost their job and the one drink after work because 10 drinks and no work.
Their partner felt their needs were not being met and decided that they wanted to seek a new relationship.
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Our results are a direct reflection of our habits
If you think the example I just is extreme, it isn’t.
If you think this won’t happen in a year, give it 2-5 and it will most certainly manifest in a similar way. You will have seen real life examples of this, those who have gone either way.
You must ask yourself if you want to be person 1 or person 2.
I know who I would rather be.
This is going to be continued tomorrow!
CM x