Out and About STYLE Magazine Issue 4 Vol. 2

AWESOME IDEA #1: THE SMALL CHOICES MATTER.
The writer’s formula is “Small, Sensible Choices + Time +
Consistency = Big Difference”. A better way to explain this
concept is given in the book in the form of an example called
‘The Magic Penny Example’. Consider this example: two people
are given the choice between receiving $3 million today or a
magic penny that doubles in value every single day. Let’s say
one of them takes the $3 million because they want to enjoy it
right away and the other opts for the penny. On Day 2, the first
person is on $3 million minus their expenses while the second
person is now on 2 cents. Moving onto Day 20, one of them
is still living life with $3 million minus their expenses while the
other only has a little over $5,000. On Day 31, the one with
the magic penny is now at more than $10 million! While the 3
million is instant gratification, the penny is like a small choice
that is performed consistently and outweighs the big gains in
the long term.
The secret is a combination of good habits, hard work and
discipline. Forget instant results. The only path to success is
through the execution of boring, unexciting daily disciplines
over time—whether it is a 30-minute jog, reading for half an
hour day, or even spending an extra 10 minutes studying
business with your partner. The small choices performed on
a daily basis will always outweigh instant gratification in the
long run.
AWESOME IDEA #2: THE COMPOUND EFFECT IS ALWAYS
AT WORK.
According to Darren Hardy, the most interesting part about the
compound effect is that it is constantly working. Therefore, if
you keep making consistent small and smart choices, you will
see a radical change in your life that will be either positive or
negative. The book talks about an example about the story
of three friends. Friend 1 does small good actions; say, read
a book. Friend 2 does nothing significant. Friend 3 indulges in
small indulgences that are seemingly harmless, like eating cake.
In about a year’s time, you may not notice much of a difference
in each friend’s lifestyle. However, in three years, the differences
will be staggering. Remember that the compound effect is all
about exponential growth. Friend 1 has started a small business
with all the ideas that he got from reading. Friend 2 is nowhere
in life because he only compares himself to others and hasn’t
done anything productive or value-adding. Friend 3 is now, you
guessed it: unhealthy and unhappy.
Note that the compound effect doesn’t just add up. That is why
you will not see any major differences even after a year or two. It
is only after some time has gone that the differences are distinct.
The compound effect cannot be switched off. Even if you don’t
notice results, it doesn’t mean that it’s not working. You will get
positive or negative results, depending on the path you take.
AWESOME IDEA #3: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.
The action of taking responsibility for your results is illustrated
with a very good example in the book. A relationship instructor
asks the question, “What is your percentage ratio of giving and
receiving in a relationship?” Some say 50-50, some 40-60 and
so on. The relationship instructor walks to the board and writes
“100%”. Only when you take 100% responsibility for working
on your relationship, it will succeed. The same goes for life.
The results you have today are all due to your past actions.
Unless you take 100% responsibility for your current and future
measures, nothing changes. The writer goes on to note that
there are several events that occur in our life which are beyond
our control. But no matter what we are handed, there is always
the power of how we choose to respond.
AWESOME IDEA #4: TAKE NOTICE OF YOUR LIFE.
“You make your choice; then the choices make you.”
Darren Hardy
Our life is really about a million choices that we make every day.
The challenge isn’t that we’ve been deliberately making bad
choices. If this were the case, it would be very easy to fix because
we can then just stop opting for that wrong pick. The problem
is that we haven’t taken notice of our selections. The actions
are so trivial; we don’t even realise the effect that it takes on us.
Sometimes we only notice our bad choices after it’s too late.
AWESOME IDEA #5: THE POWER OF IMPACT.
The last idea described in the book is about influence or impact.
Dan Hardy says that there are three key influences that we need
to watch out for: information, associations and environment.
• INFORMATION:
Always remember: garbage in, garbage out. Hardy advises us
against watching the news. Consuming too much negativity will
only make us more scared and cautious to move forward. But
he does advocate reading books. Read inspirational, strategic
and success stories, and we will inevitably become a more
empowered individual.
• ASSOCIATIONS:
Make positive and conscious associations, and you will be a
long way ahead. What you are, your lifestyle and your success
rate depend a lot on the company you keep. Pick your friends
wisely.
• ENVIRONMENT:
The environment includes everything around you. Decluttering
your life and designing a positive environment may be
uncomfortable at first, but the consequences of these actions
will compound positively over time, resulting in a major
improvement after a considerable period of time.
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