Living the Slight Edge Building Habits That Stick
The Slight Edge is a book by Jeff Olson and this episode is part 2 on Stop the Mind Screw and finding the slight edge.
“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants and a burning desire to possess it.” - Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich
Do you know what you want? Exactly what do you want? It is imperative that you get this clear! Need help? ⏬
You can gauge the limitations of a person’s life by the size of the problems that get him/her down. You can measure the impact of the life of a person by the size of the problems he/she solves. The size of your income will be determined by the size of the problems you solve.
Mastery begins the moment you step onto the path. Failure begins the moment you step off the path.
It is important to note:
Those who dwell in the failure curve? The past.
Those who dwell in the success curve? The future.
Those at the top take responsibility and live sometimes out of their comfort zone. Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.
Remember this: “The last 20% of the time we invest in a discipline that all the rewards come.” Slight Edge philosophy
Wanting is uncomfortable, yet wanting is essential to winning.
There are 2 ways of closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be:
Let go of where you are and be drawn to your goal.
Let go of your goal, hit the snooze button, and stay where you are.
Chances are good that when stepping out onto the path of mastery you will step out alone.
Invest in Yourself
“Give me 6 hours to cut down a tree and I’ll spend the first 4 sharpening the ax.” Abraham Lincoln
Have you ever read a book and then gone back and re-read that book and noticed everything was different? Yeah, me too. Happens all the time.
Learning + experience changes perspective. What changed was you.
On the path to your goal, you will be off course most of the time. This means the only way to reach a goal is through constant and continuous course correction.
Most of your life, (a very high percentage of it) - is made up of things you do on autopilot. This means it is essential to take charge of your auto pilot’s training.
Use Your Slight Edge Allies
Steady and slow wins the race - imagine walking in the morning for 20 minutes, taking a 20-minute walk break at lunch then exercising for 20 minutes in your home gym.
Now imagine doing that every day for a week. How would you feel at the end of that week?
Now imagine if you did a 140-minute walk (more than 2 hours) in the morning and a 140-minute workout in the gym that afternoon. Then did nothing for the next 6 days.
It’s easy to stay active. It’s also easy not to. And if you stop - it won’t kill you today - but that simple error in judgment - compounded over time will destroy the getting of any goal you are after.
“Give yourself something to work towards - constantly.”
Each and every incomplete thing in your life or work exerts a draining force on you, sucking the energy of accomplishment or success out of you as surely as a vampire stealing your blood.
Incomplete things keep calling you back to the past to take care of them.
Sometimes that list of incomplete things can get overwhelming. That is the slight edge too - working against you.
Simply find the first initial step you can take.
“Sometimes all you can do is all you can do, but all you can do is enough” Art Williams best seller.
Just give yourself 15 minutes a day to complete something every day.
Contemplate: Journal and ask yourself these slight edge questions daily:
“In each area of my life, what are the critical, simple little things that are easy to do, and easy not to do?
Did I do them?
Did I move forward?
Did I ride the success curve?
Cultivate Slight Edge Habits
“Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.” Charles Reade
It becomes automatic. Those 3 words lie one of the great, underestimated, underappreciated, misunderstood secrets of the slight edge. The power of habit.
Intentional habits - good habits exist we take them for granted.
Habit #1 Show Up
There are 4 frogs sitting on the lily pad. One decides to jump off, how many frogs are on the lilly pad? If you said 4 you are correct. The frog simply decided to jump off the lily pad.
Be the frog that not only decides to jump off but actually does it.
Try is a dirty word. There is no try. As Yoda says, "There is either do or do not."
Do the thing and you shall have the power.
Wait - watch - and work - and don’t give up.
Habit #2 Be consistent
Woody Allen said, “80% of success is showing up.” Jeff added - every day!
Habit #3 Have a positive outlook
Marcial Losada did some research on business teams.
People who consistently practice seeing opportunities instead of problems, focus on the best in the situation instead of the worst, notice people’s better qualities and look past their weaker ones, are happier more creative, earn more money, have more friendships, have a better immune response, less heart disease and strokes, live longer, and are more successful in their careers
Attitude creates actions that create results that create destiny.
Cultivating a positive outlook does not mean you are always happy. Bad things happen, and nobody leads a charmed invulnerable life. Life is ebb and flow. Everything curves.
When bad things happen embrace the funk. That too is cultivating a positive outlook.
Habit #4 Be committed to the long haul
Plant, and cultivate harvest. Many times that comma between cultivating and harvest is a long one.
Habit #5 Cultivate a burning desire backed by faith
If what you desire is so big and so far away but it is backed by the faith of the slight edge actions you are setting yourself up for success.
Habit #6 Be willing to pay the price.
The price of neglect is much worse than the price of discipline.
Habit #7 Practice slight edge integrity
Integrity is said to be what you do when no one is looking.
Matthew McConaughey found the book The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mondino. He committed to reading this book every single day. And he was even at home even after a long night of partying.
Slight edge integrity is one of the great secrets of entrepreneurial success.
Three Steps to Your Dreams
Write it down
Give it a what (clear description) and a when (timeline).
Look at it every day. Keep it in your face, soak your subconscious in it.
Start with a plan. Make the plan simple. The point of the plan is not that it will get you there, but that it will get you started.
Living the slight edge.
The slight edge and your health.
THE MOST IMPORTANT CHOICE DAY BY DAY AND HOUR BY HOUR IS WHETHER TO LET YOUR EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BUILD YOUR FONDEST DREAMS - OR DIG YOUR GRAVE.
When in good physical health - we think more clearly, get more accomplished, and feel better about everything.
My dreams for my health: (specific, vivid, and with a timeline):
Plan to start:
One simple daily discipline:
The slight edge and your happiness.
Once you start practicing daily disciplines that increase your health you’ll find it feeds every aspect of self-improvement you’re trying to implement.
Happiness is like health there are concrete steps you need to take to make it happen.
Happiness is affected by:
Your outlook
Specific actions with positive impact - gratitude.
Where you put your time and energy.
My dreams for happiness: (specific, vivid, and with a timeline)
Plan to start:
One simple daily discipline:
The slight edge and your relationships.
Here is the ironic truth of human existence. No matter how great our accomplishments are, it is ultimately other people who give them meaning.
Your relationships like your health are built up or torn down in the subtlest of ways.
The little things count. Tiny thoughts and gestures that are easy to do - and tragically easy not to do.
My dreams for relationships: (specific, vivid, and with a timeline)
Plan to start:
One simple daily discipline:
The slight edge and personal development.
James Allen “You will become as small as your controlling desire, or as great as your dominant aspiration.”
Listening to audio is a powerful tool - slight edge - we use our downtime to help us. Easy to do - easy not to do.
My dreams for personal development: (specific, vivid, and with a timeline)
Plan to start:
One simple daily discipline:
The slight edge and finances.
Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing.
Stop spending whatever you make. Live below your means.
My dreams for finances: (specific, vivid, and with a timeline)
Plan to start:
One simple daily discipline:……..your career, your impact….
EVERYTHING YOU DO IS IMPORTANT. Ripple effect.
Where to go from here
Do one simple daily discipline in all these areas of your life: health, happiness, relationships, personal development, finances, career, and impact - that forwards your success in all those areas.
Make a habit out of doing some sort of daily review - journal, coach, friend,
Spend high-quality time with men and women who have achieved goals and dreams similar to yours - model successful mentors, teachers, and allies, and do it daily weekly, and monthly.
Listen to part one here: Episode 3: How to the true slight edge and build habits that stick
The episode on Resistance: Episode 4: Resistance How to Overcome It
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