Becoming 1% Better Every Day

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ILLUMINATION
Published in
3 min readSep 28, 2023
Photo by THE 5TH on Unsplash

The Power of Tiny Steps

In a world where we often hear about big achievements and instant success stories, it's easy to underestimate the magic of small, everyday improvements.

So, let's talk about the idea of getting 1% better every day, and I'll show you how the numbers back up this simple yet incredible concept.

The 1% Rule: A Recipe for Success

The "1% better every day" approach is like a secret sauce for life.

It's all about making little, continuous tweaks in different parts of your life that, over time, add up to something truly remarkable.

Check out some fascinating stats that prove the power of this strategy:

1. The Magic of Building Up

-Warren Buffett’s Wisdom: You know Warren Buffett, right? That legendary investor?

He once said, "The stock market is designed to transfer money from the Active to the Patient."

In plain English, that means slow and steady wins the race. Small daily improvements, when you keep at it, can lead to jaw-dropping results.

Financial Gains:

A fancy study by Fidelity Investments found that the best-performing accounts often belonged to people who had forgotten they even had accounts or who were no longer around.

Translation: patience and consistent, long-term investing often outperform frantic, day-to-day trading.

2. Mastering Skills

- Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-Hour Myth: You might have heard about Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule for mastering something.

But guess what? A study in the journal Psychological Science suggests that it’s more about deliberate practice and continuous improvement than reaching a specific hour count.

3. Health and Fitness

- Shedding Pounds:There’s this fascinating research in the journal Obesity that found folks who made tiny, doable changes to their daily habits—like cutting back on 100 calories a day or walking an extra 2,000 steps—ended up losing a lot of weight and keeping it off.

-Exercise Pays Off:According to the American Heart Association, you don’t need to turn into a gym rat to boost your health.

Even a quick 15-minute brisk walk each day can significantly lower your risk of heart problems.

4. Personal Growth

- **Reading for Success:** Imagine this: reading just 15 pages of a book every day adds up to devouring 18-20 books a year.

Over your lifetime, that's a massive treasure trove of knowledge and personal growth.

- Mastering New Languages: Want to speak a new language? Consistently dedicating 15-30 minutes a day to practicing can lead to some impressive fluency over time.

Embrace the 1% Better Mindset

Ready to give the "1% better every day" mindset a whirl? Here's how to rock it:

1. Tiny Goals, Big Impact:

Pick areas in your life where you want to see improvement, then slice those goals into manageable daily bites.

2. Track Your Journey: Whether you use apps, a journal, or just some good ol' spreadsheets, keep tabs on your daily progress.

Seeing how far you’ve come is crazy motivating.

3. Be the Consistency Champion:

Consistency is where the magic happens. Make those daily efforts a sacred part of your routine.

4. Learn from Oopsies:

Embrace your blunders and stumbles as opportunities to grow smarter and stronger. Adjust your approach and keep on trucking.

5. Party for Mini-Victories:

Celebrate your wins, no matter how teeny-tiny they seem. This positive reinforcement fuels your motivation.

Remember, it's not about being perfect; it's about taking baby steps every day.

Over time, those itty-bitty steps can add up to an extraordinary journey of transformation and self-improvement.

So, what's your 1% change for today?

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