Change Your Life Today – The Compound Effect

The Compound Effect

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy was an eye-opening book that changed the way I manage and use my time. Each chapter echoed the process of the compound effect in which small choices + consistency + time = significant results. Seemly small insignificant choices such as: reading, working out, watching tv, eating fast food or drinking soda or the lack thereof, just to name a few, can dramatically change the compound effect outcome. The compound effect is always working. Either you make it work for you through consistently and deliberately making good choices or it will have negative effects.

Small Choices

So often I think big picture. I have big ideas that I sometimes wish would just happen. Of course, I’m always ready and willing to put in the effort, but wouldn’t life just be easier if what we wished for could just happen in our own timing? I have learned over the past few years that all of my big plans for life can be achieved when I tackle things in small steps and wait on God’s timing. I could show you a list of goals I have, but if I tried to accomplish it all at once, the list would probably overtake me. So often, big tasks can seem overwhelming. It is during this feeling of being overwhelmed that I can tend to loose focus. As I was reading this book, I learned that small choices reap big results. Compounded over time, the small choices I make everyday turn in to habits. In turn, habits turn in to a lifestyle. From setting my alarm clock to an hour earlier in the morning, to heading to bed a little earlier at night, I am able to accomplish the things I wanted to do when otherwise I would complain that there are just not enough hours in the day.

Consistency

As you will quickly catch on, one of my passions is working out. I don’t know about you, but I have started various workout plans throughout the years to only get a couple of months in before throwing in the towel. I always say the same thing, “I’m not seeing the results that I wanted to see.”. Hardy talks about how culture has a “microwave mentality” in which we want to see results and we want to see them quickly. At times, it takes 18-24 months before seeing the sought after change. I’ve jumped between so many workout plans in my life. Some were meant to try something new, but others were in hopes of achieving what I wanted to see. When none of those plans gave me the results I wanted in a few short weeks, I lost focus and would try something different. I realize that I need to be patient in the process. There is much patience found in the discipline of consistency. When you follow a plan and choose to trust the process, you will see change. It may not be exactly what you wanted, but it’s one step closer to the desired end goal. Our world is driven on impulsivity and instant gratification. Choose to slow down. Choose to sit back and weigh your options. Choose to stick to a realistic plan despite it not going well in the first few weeks. Consistency in any form produces results. 

Time

The most eye opening point that was made by author Hardy was, “…you always take 100 percent responsibility for everything that happens to you. If you want something to change you and only you are responsible to change it.’ This resonated with me because there has been times in my life that I’ve said I couldn’t do certain things solely on excuses of the position that I’m in. It’s easier to hide behind excuses of “I’m too busy”, “I have work”, or “family things have come up” than it is to put the hard work in to achieve the desired goals. If I want it to happen, I have to put the effort needed to make it happen. Time moves fast, so maximize every moment.

Put It Together

My life has changed overtime and I thank God for that. The old, unhealthy habits are no longer compounding and have been replaced. As a Christian, we are called to be good stewards of what God has given us (Matthew 25:14-30). This includes everything from our bodies, to our money, our family, our possessions. Colossians 3:23 also reminds us that we are to work wholeheartedly as if we are working for the Lord and not for men. This reminds us that the most important compound effect is eternally focused. For me personally, my relationship with Christ is at the forefront of any other goal or passion. I know that if I diligently seek God first, then “all these things” will be added to my life (Matthew 6:33). Galatians 6:7-9 explains the compound effect formula in a different way:

“⁷ …For whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹ And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. ” The key phrase, “if we do not give up” reminds us to stay consistent and endure through the challenges that come our way. Live a Maverick life.