The Slight Edge: The Razor’s Edge Difference Between Success and Failure
Upon first hearing, “The Slight Edge” might sound like a success principle that helps you to achieve success just by the skin of your teeth. However, a closer look reveals that it could be the ONLY thing standing between you and your dreams. According to Jeff Olsen, the author of “The Slight Edge,” there isn’t much of a difference between being largely successful and being average. Success does not come overnight, or as the result of some spectacular event or stroke of luck. Instead, it’s the accumulation of many small and consistent actions and habits which are repeated on a consistent basis.
As simple as this sounds, it’s also the very reason why many people don’t succeed in life while others leave a permanent mark with their life…
The Slight Edge, and the Not So Slight Difference
As you’re reading this, imagine ONE thing which you could start doing today to improve the ONE area of your life which you want to improve the most. It can be something as minor as making 15 more minutes of sales calls, sending one email to a person you care about, writing one page of a book you’re working on or putting $5 into your investments (pretty close to what you pay for a coffee at Starbucks). Why aren’t most people doing these things?
It’s not because people are lazy, it’s because they underestimate the power of small and consistent actions over a period of time. However, imagine where the above actions would put you in a year’s time: a total of 65 HOURS of sales calls (which could reasonably equal three week’s pay), better relationships with three or four people in your life, 365 pages of a book written (more than enough for the total book) or $1,825.00 dollars saved or invested.
Now expand that out 10 years, 20 or 30 and consider also the compounding effect of having written a book a year, having built better relationships, having invested more money and earned more money to use for investing by working just 15 minutes more a day. Now just imagine a few other “minor” things you could do every day to improve your health, your financial life, your relationships, your self-confidence, your career skills or your expertise in a certain field.
Imagine if you read just one book a month by someone who was an expert within your specific career or niche…what would that knowledge earn you over the next year, or ten years? The problem, again, is that it’s SO easy to take the little things for granted and assume that they “don’t matter.” This does not take into account “The Slight Edge” difference, and for many people, that’s what makes all the difference between failure and success.
Baby Steps, It’s Where we All Start
So what one thing can you start doing today to start using “The Slight Edge” to build momentum in your life? Even if it seems impossible for it to make a difference, just think about how you learned to walk. You first steps took enormous effort, risk and concentration, and might have even seemed impossible. However, how many total steps do you think you’ve taken at this point in your life? Where have those steps taken you…and most important, where would you be right now if you had never bothered to get started?
As simple as this sounds, it’s also the very reason why many people don’t succeed in life while others leave a permanent mark with their life…
The Slight Edge, and the Not So Slight Difference
As you’re reading this, imagine ONE thing which you could start doing today to improve the ONE area of your life which you want to improve the most. It can be something as minor as making 15 more minutes of sales calls, sending one email to a person you care about, writing one page of a book you’re working on or putting $5 into your investments (pretty close to what you pay for a coffee at Starbucks). Why aren’t most people doing these things?
It’s not because people are lazy, it’s because they underestimate the power of small and consistent actions over a period of time. However, imagine where the above actions would put you in a year’s time: a total of 65 HOURS of sales calls (which could reasonably equal three week’s pay), better relationships with three or four people in your life, 365 pages of a book written (more than enough for the total book) or $1,825.00 dollars saved or invested.
Now expand that out 10 years, 20 or 30 and consider also the compounding effect of having written a book a year, having built better relationships, having invested more money and earned more money to use for investing by working just 15 minutes more a day. Now just imagine a few other “minor” things you could do every day to improve your health, your financial life, your relationships, your self-confidence, your career skills or your expertise in a certain field.
Imagine if you read just one book a month by someone who was an expert within your specific career or niche…what would that knowledge earn you over the next year, or ten years? The problem, again, is that it’s SO easy to take the little things for granted and assume that they “don’t matter.” This does not take into account “The Slight Edge” difference, and for many people, that’s what makes all the difference between failure and success.
Baby Steps, It’s Where we All Start
So what one thing can you start doing today to start using “The Slight Edge” to build momentum in your life? Even if it seems impossible for it to make a difference, just think about how you learned to walk. You first steps took enormous effort, risk and concentration, and might have even seemed impossible. However, how many total steps do you think you’ve taken at this point in your life? Where have those steps taken you…and most important, where would you be right now if you had never bothered to get started?
