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 <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> outweighs the big gains in the long term. The secret is a combination of good habits, hard work <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> hasn’t done anything productive or value-adding. Friend 3 is now, you guessed it: unhealthy <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> receiving in a relationship?” Some say 50-50, some 40-60 <strong>and</strong> so on. The relationship instructor walks to the board <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> 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 h<strong>and</strong>ed, 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 <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> cautious to move forward. But he does advocate reading books. Read inspirational, strategic <strong>and</strong> success stories, <strong>and</strong> we will inevitably become a more empowered individual. • ASSOCIATIONS: Make positive <strong>and</strong> conscious associations, <strong>and</strong> you will be a long way ahead. What you are, your lifestyle <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> 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. 110
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