There’s something about travel that makes me love to read. I don’t know if it’s the new surroundings that reawaken my sense of what is important in life, or that drives me to want to be a better version of myself, or something else. Maybe it’s fear? Fear that if I don’t pick up a book and educate myself, I won’t be able to provide the means to ever see a beautiful new place and culture again. Maybe it’s as simple as just having more time for it! Whatever the case, I love reading. When we pack for a trip somewhere, my wife and I joke that she can’t find enough space for all her clothes and shoes, while I’m just sitting there trying to figure out which books I’m not going to have to leave home!
On a recent trip to the Caribbean, my literary journey led me to a book called “The Slight Edge”, by Jeff Olson. Jeff is a pretty amazing motivator, author and entrepreneur. Having started several multi-million dollar businesses, speaking all over the country and authoring the book we’re about to look at, Jeff knows how to get stuff done. And he wants to share that with you. I highly recommend this book. And no, this is not a paid ad for it.
The ironic thing about this book, is that I actually had it on my night stand in the “to read” pile for quite some time. Since reading it, that same pile has rotated out with new material significantly faster. I guess it was worth the read.
To summarize the book in a few paragraphs and sentences would not do it justice in any way, but there are a few key parts and points that I’d love to bring out here that will hopefully help you, not only for the new year, but to serve as reminder in the power of simplicity compounded.
In essence, Jeff describes what it means to “have an edge” in everything we do. And I don’t mean massive, unfair advantages in our lives that virtually guarantee success. I mean literally a slight edge. Taking the simplest things in life and, well, just doing them. Over and over and over, with intention, and with a vision of what you want those things to accomplish. It’s about the power of compound interest, it’s about habits (an entirely other topic that I absolutely love) that we choose to form, and which ones we choose to break. It’s about building on these repeated actions day after day after day until suddenly we have accomplished what we set out to do without barely realizing it.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” -Abraham Lincoln (attrib.)
One of the things that struck me in reading this book, is just how easy it should be to obtain our goals. Jeff makes the point that all of the same things that lead to our every day survival, are the same ones that can take us far past that to incredible success - we just have to actually keep doing them. He reminds us :
How easy it is to save a few dollars every day. And how easy it is not to.
How easy it is to tell your spouse you love them every day. And how easy it is not to.
How very simple it is to walk a mile or two every day. And how easy it is not to.
One of the reasons we don’t often take these actions, is simply that we don’t see the results of them quickly enough. In our on-demand, fast-paced, “give it to me this instant” world, that can be a real challenge. But do any of those actions we just listed, every single day, intentionally, for any significant length of time, and the results will be amazing. Truly amazing. We look at great marriages, super fit people, wealthy entrepreneurs, and wish we could find the secret to their success. We wish we could be where they are and do what they do, and the truth is, there is no secret. Just do the things. Every day. Intentionally. Do them for a purpose. Do them with a vision of where you want to be. And over time, you will see the results. It’s really that simple.
“…the choice you face every day, every hour: A simple, positive action, repeated over time. A simple error in judgement, repeated over time. So easy to do. So easy not to do.” -Jeff Olson
We will look at this topic again in the future, so I’ll just wrap up with this story he shared in the book that really struck me, and hopefully can motivate you to find a couple of things, today, that you can start exercising your edge with. Again, I’ll summarize - grab the book yourself to read the whole story.
Jeff’s mom worked as an administrative assistant at a church for thirty-five years. As you can imagine, that didn’t come with much pay - and ever fewer benefits. When his father passed away at only forty one years old, when Jeff was 11, life didn’t get any easier. As a child of a single mom raising three kids, on almost no pay, he was no stranger to scraping by.
In 1996, after Jeff had achieved a bit of success himself, the book “The Millionaire Next Door” came out. The book described how common, next door folk with simple approaches to life, not living large and flashy, were quietly becoming millionaires. He sat down with his mom and told her about the book, and how others were saying “Jeff, that describes you! You’re the quiet, steady millionaire next door!” Here is the conversation that ensued :
“She nodded, and then said “You know why that is?”
“No”, I replied, not sure where she was going with this. “Why?”
She looked at me and said, “Well, I’m a millionaire too.”
“What do you mean?” I said. “You mean, the house, or…?” There was no way her house could be worth a million…and I knew that. But I couldn’t imagine what else she could possibly mean.
“No,” she said. “No, I have a couple million dollars. Salted away. You know, in savings.”
What? I just stared at her.
…She shrugged and added, “It’s not something you’d want to brag about."
For all these years of going to work every day, going about her life, taking care of her kids, living in that little house, she had been quietly saving. Consistently and persistently. Without anyone else noticing, she had quietly made herself into a millionaire - literally.
Although completely unaware of it, I had been living with the picture perfect example of the slight edge my whole life.”
-(Jeff Olson, Chapter, The Slight Edge, Chapter 3 “The Choice” ©2005-2013)
So, what are you doing today? Will you do it tomorrow too? And the next day? How will you remember to do it? Have you written it down? Do you hold yourself accountable? Or better yet - do you have someone who will help hold you accountable? What motivates you to do it? What is the passion that drives you to say “yes” to doing that one simple thing, over and over instead of just as easily blowing it off and watching Netflix instead?