You Can Unlock Dramatic Changes With Basic Consistency
Small acts, significant outcomes
There's a spectacular strength in the repetition of tiny, consistent acts.
A small acorn becomes a mighty oak. Millions of aerosol cans create a hole in the ozone layer. A slow drip forms a stalagmite which becomes a towering presence in a cavern. Small changes in life can lead to spectacular outcomes.
But only if you’re willing to take the first step.
Crossing the Pain/Pleasure Threshold
Picture the scene. A couples massage during my honeymoon in Budapest. Chill jazz music. Scented candles. Warm towels.
And me howling the place down in pain.
The masseuse ended the massage early. She left me with stern instructions to visit a chiropractor. How romantic.
My hunched posture during the prior 20+ years of sitting at a desk at work had slowly yet surely changed the structure of my muscles. I was literally bent out of shape.
Fortunately, I only had ‘level 1’ spinal issues. Over a series of adjustments, the chiro was able to crack and twist everything back to the right place.
Sit properly at your desk, people!
To support my new focus on posture, I had been doing lots of resistance training this year.
Alas, my form was off and I wasn’t keeping my shoulder blades together when pressing. This small deviation led (again) to reliance on the wrong muscles. Over time, this caused an injury in my right shoulder that stopped me from doing even one push-up.
This is not the type of ‘small change = big action’ I’m trying to encourage but it’s another example even so. I’ll conclude the cautionary tales soon, I promise.
As a result of this, I have recently started physical therapy.
I am only 5 sessions deep and I’ve already seen the power of consistency in action.
Unlike the skeletal slamming at the chiro, PT has been more sedate.
Lift this tiny weight in a very specific way 45 times. Pull this tiny weight toward you 50 times. We’re retraining the muscles (and my brain, I’m told) one strand and sinew at a time. I expect that normal service will be resumed after 8 weeks (and thousands of tiny reps).
I’m happy that I won’t have to rely solely on one-handed push-ups for the rest of my life. I would have had to join a CrossFit gym with everyone else that does those. The healing journey continues.
Unexpectedly, I’ve seen the most stark changes at the start of each session, when I do six minutes on the rower to warm up.
The goal is a consistent pace. I have not been trying to go fast at all. After all, I have an injured shoulder and a penchant for taking the easy route if one is available.
Much to my surprise, then, when after 4 sessions I notice I have got quicker by a whole 10 seconds over 500m.
I can get much better at rowing from only 4 six-minute workouts without even trying. Think about what you might achieve by starting your thing.
It’s Giving…Grasshopper
I was embarrassingly bad with money for a long time.
Splurging. Especially in my 20s. The irresponsible % of my monthly income I spent on a BMW lease. Racking up credit card and store card debt. Going out 6 nights a week to the fanciest bars in town until all hours.
No financial smarts. I had some grasp on APRs but only really used that knowledge to secure consolidation loans so I could hit the cards again. No emergency fund. No investments. Minimal pension contributions.
Poor planning. Leaving the UK in the throes of a recession to spend 4 months and most of my savings traveling around the world. Then, returning to $40K negative equity on my 3rd floor, no elevator, 1-bed apartment. Oh, and my girlfriend was now pregnant. (This did turn into the best ever souvenir, who has just had his 14th birthday.)
Now, babies have a way of bringing about lifestyle changes. We got set up in a house thanks to generous parents and were able to stabilize and pay them back.
Five years later, my (now) wife and I had whatever the bad version of an epiphany is. I remember her asking “how on Earth have we been working decent careers for 15 years and we have no money?”.
I found the courage to ask some trusted friends for advice. We invested (see, I’m learning) in Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki*. It was time to make some small changes.
We had a comfortable life, although not luxurious. At that time, we committed to keep that but to limit lifestyle creep and to start investing.
Slowly but surely over the last 9 years, we have changed the paradigm. Nothing felt different day to day. We’re a long way from financial freedom but are now sitting on a much more comfortable cushion.
This weekend, I sat with both the kids (we were blessed with a second 2 years after the first) and taught them the fundamentals of investment. (Of course I had to do this via YouTube, their platform of choice, but you’ve got to meet your audience where they are, right?)
They’re already way ahead of me. I can’t wait to see how that small change pans out over time for them.
Why Do We Forget This?
As the internet has grown we have come to expect and feel entitled to big successes immediately.
You see many ads that promise ways to earn $3000 per month in passive income from affiliate marketing. They promise a dream life as an influencer or a shortcut to financial freedom.
We can have the best of everything on our doorsteps, next day delivery.
The thrill of the chase is gone when everything is within your reach. We don’t expect to have to travel for these international delights.
Social media doubles down on all this. We see the very best of the world at any particular skill, in quickfire format:
It all looks so easy. Like you could do it yourself if you had 30 minutes of free time next weekend.
What we forget is that these things take incredible amounts of hard work. We don’t see the thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears that go into practice. Consistent practice that started with one small action.
Tiger Woods is a great example. Here was his standard day when he was at the top of his game:
“Well, I used to get up in the morning, run four miles. Then I’d go to the gym, do my lift. Then I’d hit balls for two to three hours. I’d go play (a round of golf), come back, work on my short game. I’d go run another four more miles, and then if anyone wanted to play basketball or tennis, I would go play basketball or tennis. That was a daily routine”
Pick any other world class athlete of this era and you’ll hear the same thing. A relentless obsession with consistent practice. Working on his craft every waking hour. No wonder nobody could keep up with him. And it all started with a single swing of a club.
Yet, it’s easier to imagine when the ball drops majestically into the cup that Tiger was ‘born with it’. That way, you don’t have to challenge yourself to say ‘why not me?’.
You want to create an alternate reality for yourself. In it, being epic at something is a gift, not earned through consistent hard work. This conveniently releases you from the pressure to get up and do difficult things.
You may never be the Tiger in your chosen pursuit. But don’t be one of the many who never pick up the club in the first place.
Take Action Now To Create Your Big Change
Don't underestimate the ripple effect of a single small deed. It can create waves of change that extend far beyond your initial action.
Write that blog post. Start with the first sentence. Hell, even write one sentence a day and watch it pick up pace from that.
Take up that new sport. Find a local beginner group and go have some fun. Soon you’ll be competing.
Start that business. Ignore the shortcuts. Craft your offer, put it into action, fail, iterate, succeed.
Whatever you do, start by cultivating small, positive changes in your routine. Over time, the hard work will stack up. It will compound into big personal growth and achievements.
Remember - thinking about action doesn’t create change. Only action.
Go get it started.
*Since Mr. Kiyosaki has gone somewhat off the political rails since 2015, some may prefer the equally excellent I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
"Slight Edge" is one of those books that stuck in my mind.