Sunday, September 28, 2014

"The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy

I've never written a review, I don't know how to. So, this is not a review, but the key messages I took away from reading, "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy.

Do you know the Paul Kelly song, "From Little Things, Big Things Grow"? Well that is the premise of the book.

According to Hardy, the little, everyday decisions we make will either take us to the life we desire, or to disaster by default.

The book opens with a direct and powerful statement... "You've been bamboozled for too long". The writer goes on to explain that, despite what the sensationalist media might have us believe, there is no magic bullet to success.

And Hardy ensures that we don't need to learn anything new to be successful.

"New or more information is not what you need," he says. "What you need is a new plan". ("If all we needed was more information, everyone with an internet connection would have abs of steel, live in a mansion, and be blissfully happy.")

The compound effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices.

What's most interesting about the process is that, even though the results are massive, the steps, in the moment, don't feel significant.

Hardy cites examples of how people can get caught out by the simplicity of the compound effect. An overweight person might give up after the eighth day of running because s/he is still overweight. Another might quit practising the piano after six months because s/he hasn't mastered anything other than chopsticks. And a third person might stop making regular contributions to their goal saver account because they could use the cash for something else. And the money doesn't seem to be adding up to much anyway.

What these people fail to realise is the power of the compound effect. We are a society hell bent on instant gratification. We want what we want, and we want it yesterday. Hardy says that understanding the compound effect will rid us of the expectation that we should see instant results.

I have followed the principles of The Compound Effect a couple of times in my life, to great success.

The most obvious time i followed the principles of the compound effect was during my elite rowing career. I represented Australia at two Olympic Games - Athens, 2004, and Beijing, 2008 - but I was a complete novice at one point. I first picked up an oar as a 14-year-old schoolgirl. So, it took me 10 years of daily, mundane, tiring & time-consuming training to reach the lofty heights of the Olympic Games.

Immediately following the Beijing Games, I set my sights on saving a deposit to buy my first home. Again, I followed the concept of 'from little things big things grow'. I saved at least $100 a week (on a slim wage, and without the luxury of living rent-free with my folks) for three full years until I had a respectable income.

And I'm currently following the principles of the compound effect as I prepare to run the Perth marathon in June 2015.

What one simple act can you perform on a daily basis that is going to lead you in the direction you want your life to take?