incremental progress

Quiet Courage

/ Scott / 2 Comments

I’m currently reading a great book titled, “Work the System” by Sam Carpenter.  Today I read a section where he talks about quiet courage.  Sam defines quiet courage as, “…unadorned action and it is the opposite of procrastination.  Quiet courage resides deep inside and causes one to buck up and do what needs to be done whether one wants to or not.”

As I read that today it made me think that as we’re out causing something to happen, there are often days where we may not feel like doing what needs to be done.  For example, in the pursuit of good health, there may be days where we just don’t feel like going to the gym.  While striving for a strong healthy marriage, we may not feel like engaging in tough conversations that we need to have.  The list is endless, but the truth is that during the pursuit of whatever we are striving for, we will face times when we just don’t want to do what we know we need to.

I’m curious as to how we can develop quiet courage in our own lives.  What can we do to develop the persistence to push through feelings of “not wanting to”, instead of seeing them as insurmountable obstacles that thwart all efforts at forward progress?  I think one of the best things we can do to build quiet courage in our own lives is to recognize when the feelings of procrastination and lack of motivation are beginning to take hold.  At this point we have a crucial decision.  We can give in to the “I don’t want to” feelings or we can do what needs to be done, in spite of how we feel.

Regardless of the choice we make, we reinforce or build a habit.  If we procrastinate every time these feelings arise, we reinforce the response of procrastination.  On the contrary, if we do what we need to, even when we don’t feel like it, we begin building the muscle of quiet courage.  The more we choose to take positive action regardless of feelings, the stronger this muscle grows.

Commit today to being mindful of the “I-don’t-feel-like-it” feelings when they crop up in life.  When they arise, attack them with the positive, forward-moving action.  Responding in this fashion long term will rapidly build a quiet courage within you.  And when that happens, the “I-don’t-feel-like-it” feelings you encounter will be short lived.

Death, Taxes, and Compounding

/ Scott / Leave a comment

It is, indeed, a powerful force!  In the previous blog, we talked about the magic and the power of compounding and saw how compounding can have a significant positive effect in our lives.  Compounding is a great thing, right?  Well, it depends.

The principal of compounding will occur in our lives when we choose to apply it to something positive.  Here’s the alarming aspect about compounding that we may not be aware of:  compounding will occur in our lives whether we actively peruse it or not.  The choice we are responsible for is whether we will shape and direct the compounding in our lives, or whether we’ll allow negative compounding to occur, yielding results we may not want or desire.

Last post we talked about the compounding that occurs from lifting weight on a consistent basis day after day, for several years.  Let’s take an opposite scenario.  Say a person isn’t pursuing a healthy lifestyle.  Suppose they eat their favorite fast foods for lunch every day, and drink large quantities of unhealthy, high sugar or high calorie beverages.  Let’s also imagine that at the end of every day our “compounding unaware” example plops down in front of the TV for several hours until they drift off to sleep.  What effect will this have on a person after 1 day?  I’d say very little to none.  What happens when we add compounding into the equation?  What happens when our example strings several weeks of this consistent behavior together?  Let’s carry the equation out even further and say this behavior continues consistently for 5 to 10 years.  My guess is that these results are far different from the person who started lifting the 10lb weight 5 to 10 years ago.

Here’s the truth about compounding that is so important to grasp:  compounding will occur in our lives whether we actively choose to harness its power or not.  Our consistent actions, whether positive or negative, will yield significant results in our lives.  It doesn’t matter if we’re aware of the principal or not.  Compounding will occur regardless.

This principal gives us tremendous opportunity, but I also think it comes with tremendous responsibility.  Knowing that compounding will occur, we should cause something to happen that will allow compounding’s power to move us in a positive direction, toward the goals and dreams we have to change our lives for the better.  Why waste this principal’s precious power on results that don’t enhance our lives?

If you’re interested in learning more about compounding and how it can be applied in your own life, I highly recommend Darren Hardy’s excellent book, “The Compound Effect”.  Check it out and learn more about this under-utilized principle and begin applying its power in your life.  It will motivate you to stay consistent and encourage you to be committed to positive compounding for the long haul.

The Magic of Compounding — It’s Not Just for Dollars!

/ Scott / Leave a comment

How in the world does lifting a 10lb weight turn a person into a body builder?  Likewise, how does one shovel full of dirt turn a city block into a massive sky scraper?  The truth is… it doesn’t.  Picking up and lifting a 10lb weight will no more turn a person into a body builder than will one scoop of earth struck by a shovel create a skyscraper.  Each of these single acts is too insignificant to yield impressive results.

However, suppose a person were to lift that same 10lb weight several times a day, day after day for a month.  It would soon become too light as the weightlifter grew stronger from continually lifting the 10lb weight.  They would soon need to begin lifting 15, or 20lbs several times a day, day after day, until this weight also became too light. Now suppose our weight lifter repeated this process day after day, month after month and year after year.  What would the result be after 1, 5, or 10 years? They would be far stronger, and more muscular, than they were when they first started lifting the 10lb weight.

Here’s the question:  Which day of weight lifting was the one that made them strong and improved their physique?  What is the very first day they began lifting the 10lb weight? Was it their most recent day in the gym?  The obvious answer is:  it was every day!   Every seemingly insignificant day spent lifting weights.  Every day of not seeing results, yet pushing forward (or up in the case of weightlifting).  Every day’s commitment to staying focused on the goal and giving consistent effort.

By themselves, each day’s effort doesn’t amount to much.  But when coupled with the effort of the days before, and the days that follow, they collectively become a powerful force.  This force, this magic, is called compounding.

We often hear of compounding in the context of investing or saving money.  We’re told to put a little money away each month and over the years the “magic of compounding will cause the amount to grow to an incredibly large sum.   It’s no different with our effort in other life endeavors.  If you want  something different in your life, cause something to happen daily to move you closer to your desired outcome.  It doesn’t have to be an extraordinary effort.  All we need is small, incremental progress done on a daily basis over an extended period of time.

This is an incredibly encouraging concept to me.  It reminds me that regardless of my endeavor, I don’t need to have all the answers before I can get started.  I don’t need to have my plan all filled out and perfect first.  I just need to take the next step today and each subsequent day.  These small steps will carry me toward my goal.  I just need to provide consistent effort over an extended period.  The magic of compounding will take care of the rest.

Share your comments:  Have you had an experience with the power of compounding?  Were in your life do you need to provide the seeds of consistency to all allow compounding to take root?

Let the power of compounding encourage you to cause something to happen… starting today!