The 365 Best Business Books Of All-Time: The Slight Edge

Over the last decade I’ve spent time in conversation with thousands of entrepreneurs, executives and thought leaders.

For the most part (there are exceptions to every rule), the ones that have had the most success are the ones that have exhibited the seven principles from The Slight Edge.

If you pay close attention, you’ll notice something interesting about these principles — they are simple to understand, but hard to do.

That should tell you something about what’s required for success (discipline > intelligence).

My Key Takeaways/Principles

1. Show Up

Woody Allen once said that 80 percent of success is showing up. You have already won half the battle if you will commit to showing up every day. The rest is left up to skill, knowledge, drive and execution.

2. Be Consistent

Showing up is important, but its natural companion consistency is what makes it a powerful duo. Showing up consistently is where the magic happens. Consistency Yields Results.

3. Have a Good Attitude

When all things are equal, attitude will set you apart from anything else. There’s a lot of science to prove that your mindset drives your success.

4. Be Committed for a Long Period of Time

Just as a farmer has to wait a full season to reap his harvest, you must do the same. If you are working towards a worthy goal, it will not come overnight (or in 3 months, and maybe not even in a year).

5. Have Faith and a Burning Desire

As Napoleon Hill says repeatedly in “Think and Grow Rich” — there is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it. It’s what keeps you motivated to press forward when adversity inevitably hits.

6. Be Willing to Pay the Price

Anything worth having is worth working and paying a price for. That’s the price of entry. And if you’re not willing to pay a price for whatever it is you want, the price of neglect is far worse than the price of commitment.

7. Practice Integrity

There are many definitions of integrity, but the one most applicable to the Slight Edge is what you do when no one is watching. It is also doing the thing you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you.

Questions to ask yourself

• Which of the Slight Edge principles am I willing to adopt this week?
• What areas of my life am I not happy with, and would these principles help?

What else is covered in this book?

Inside the book you’ll learn what’s standing in your way from applying these simple but powerful principles, the 5 sources of power you have to overcome those roadblocks, and how to use continuous learning and development to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted in your life (if, of course, you apply what you learn).

This year (2018) I’m reading and summarizing the top 365 business books of all-time. You can get the full list of books, and links to my reviews of each book, by clicking here.

Happy learning!