The Compound Effect Summary (Darren Hardy) — ANIMATED
“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”
~ Darren Hardy
The Compound Effect Summary
Say you were given the choice between taking $3 million in cash, and a penny that doubles in value for 31 days. Which would you choose?
Thanks to the compound effect, after 31 days that penny would be worth $10 million, so definitely the wiser choice
The same concept can be applied to good life choices. If you’re consistent, you’ll see massive results in the long run.
The Hurdles of The Compound Effect
But if the compound effect is so simple and powerful, how come not everyone is using it? Here are some of the most common hurdles that might be holding you back.
1) Quick Fixes
Nowadays, we’re offered so many shortcuts to success..
Quick fixes might work temporarily, but the results are nothing compared to the success that comes from continued effort and discipline compounded over time.
2) Hard Work Over Time is Required
Often when we experience a moment of success, we stop working hard. Real success requires a lot of work with a lot of consistency.
3) Results Don’t Come Immediately
The compound effect means reaping big rewards from a series of small good choices. The change, at first, feels completely imperceptible, so many people give up before they get to see the big payoff.
Overcome These Hurdles
It all starts with understanding that every single choice that you make matters, especially the ones that you do on a consistent, repeatable basis. The author calls this ‘small choices = big repercussions’.
So how do you make the right choices? Start with self-awareness.
Let’s say you want to stop eating junk food — here are the steps to follow.
- Be realistic about how many empty calories you consume in one day
- Picture where you want to be when you have completely eliminated junk food
- Try to understand what bad choices you make regularly, and what got you into this situation in the first place
- Track your choices. Write down how many unhealthy snacks you’ve skipped or replaced
- Be consistent. It only takes three weeks for a new habit to start developing
Getting Rid of Bad Habits
Habits, both good and bad ones, are major drivers in your life. So, let’s start by getting rid of the bad habits.
There are five relatively simple tactics that you can start using.
- What situations or emotions trigger your bad habits? For example, do you overeat when you’re bored or stressed?
- Throw them out. Literally! If you want to eat healthier, throwing out the junk food is a great first step.
- Find a suitable replacement, so you don’t feel the elimination.
- Take it easy! You don’t have to stop overnight. Make small, consistent changes.
- Or don’t take it easy! For some, the only way to stop a bad habit is to go cold turkey.
Creating New Good Habits
After you’ve kicked your bad habits to the curb, let’s get to the more fun part — creating new good habits. Here are six strategies to help you do so.
- Help yourself succeed. Want to eat healthier? Keep healthy food close to you.
- Focus on positives; like how good it feels to have quit smoking, not on how you can’t smoke anymore.
- Share your goals with others — this will push you to do better.
- Find a partner to share your success journey with.
- You can even compete with yourself if you don’t have a partner. Run faster than the day before, for example.
- Don’t torture yourself — always celebrate your small victories!
Your Turn Now
The compound effect is always working in the background, whether you notice it or not. If you make good choices daily and develop good habits, you see massive results in the long run. Make the choices today that pay you back tomorrow.
As Darren Hardy says, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.”
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Watch the full video here.
