The-Slight-Edge

ChAPTER 12
living the Slight Edge
Gentlemen, this is a football.
— Vince Lombardi
With these words, the legendary football coach would begin each new season of
training, never taking anything for granted and always viewing each of his players as a
blank slate, despite the fact that they were all seasoned pros. The first time Lombardi
uttered this famous line, Green Bay Packer great Max McGee delivered his own
immortal retort: “Uh, Coach, could you slow down a little? You’re going too fast for
us,” and got a chuckle even from the unflappable Lombardi.
The contemporary business world has an expression for this mindset: “Assume
nothing.” The Zen Buddhists call it “beginner’s mind.” It’s a mindset of humility and
fresh inquiry, always looking for the most meaning and importance in the smallest
things. I can’t think of a better or more eloquent way of expressing it than, “Gentlemen,
this is a football.”
No matter how great your aspirations, how tall the dream and great the leap it
means, the eternally repeating truth of the Slight Edge is that it is always built of
small, simple steps. Easy to do—and just as easy not to do. Don’t go too fast, and
don’t be too proud to stop, look at your life, and tell yourself, “This is a football.”
To the coach, the football was the single step that begins the thousand-mile journey.
The football was Lombardi’s penny.
Now it’s time to find yours.
What one simple, single, easy-to-do activity can you do, day in and day out,
that will have the greatest impact on your health; your personal development; your
relationships; your finances; and your life itself?