View comments for this article
The Slight Edge
... a book from Jeff Olson
Here’s a riddle for you -
Seven frogs sitting on a lily pad and one of them decides to jump off. How many are left?
Ah. You’ll have to read on to get the answer!
I went to the gym today. Still fairly full, but not packed like it was a couple of weeks ago. Good intentions are
hanging by a thread and I don’t think it will be long before I have the bike and cross trainer all to myself
again. Gym domination here I come!
For many people the effort of sticking to those New Year resolutions will soon prove too much and they’ll revert
to past habits.
So why do so many people resolve to make a new start, adopt good habits and shed the bad, only to fall off the
wagon at the first sign of resistance?
Read on to find out how your philosophy creates your attitude, actions and life. And to the get answer to the
lily pad riddle of course.
The Slight Edge
I often include book reviews in my articles and newsletters but this month the review is the main
item. The book in question is ‘The Slight Edge’ by Jeff Olson and I think it’s a top read - particularly at
this time of the year.
Many self-help books focus on the end goal more than the process. Dieting and personal fitness are great
examples. People want a quick fix, rather than a course of action that grinds out victory over time. And that’s
probably why dieters lose weight only to gain it again a couple of months later. It’s also why numbers at your
gym will be higher at this time of year than in a few months time.
This book is beautifully simple, based as it is on changing your thinking or your philosophy. Simply put,
focusing on actions is not enough. It’s the attitude behind them that keeps those actions in place.
The central idea is the importance of the simple things we do. We all eat, sleep, think, feel, talk, and listen.
We all have 8,760 hours a year to fill one way or another with a sequence of tasks and actions - any one of which
on its own is seemingly insignificant.
Winners and losers both do the same basic things in their lives - day in and day out. So what’s the difference?
Well, the difference between success and failure lies one hundred per cent in which of those little ‘insignificant’
actions you choose to do.
The point is incredibly simple. Everything you need to do to transform your life is easy to do. Simple little
disciplines that, done consistently over time, will add up to the very biggest achievements.
So why don’t we succeed more often?
Well here’s the rub. Every action that’s easy to do is easy not to do. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t do
one of these small actions. You won’t suffer; you won’t blow it – at least not today.
What’s more, not doing something is often more comfortable than doing it would be. But…
That simple, seemingly insignificant action, compounded over time will begin to impact on you. And that’s the
Slight Edge. Unless it’s working for you, it’s working against you. You can count on it.
Here’s an example.
I’m writing this article using touch-typing for the first time. It’s something I’ve been meaning to learn for
twenty years. I adopted the Slight Edge philosophy and have spent 30 minutes learning this skill each day for the
past three months. Believe me there have been times when two-finger typing seemed so much easier and quicker.
But I’ve persevered and am now rattling along at 40 words a minute.
It’s quite amazing what we can accomplish when we adopt the Slight Edge.
Find out below how this book helped to transform the life of one of my business colleagues. Thanks to
Kevin Dodd, MD of financial planning company, Care Asset for his musings.
You may have a few problems getting hold of The Slight Edge as it seems to be out of print. However there are
second-hand copies available through Amazon. I promise it will be well worth any effort it may take you.
Now for the answer to that riddle:
Seven frogs sitting on a lily pad and one of them decides to jump off. How many are left?
The answer is seven. The frog only DECIDED to jump off. Deciding is not the same as actually doing it!
So, did you decide to buy the book or did you actually do it?
Just in case you’re still on the lily pad, have another go.
How the Slight Edge has helped me - Kevin Dodd, MD - Care Asset
My daily routine includes a lot of self-development reading and listening to CDs so I was intrigued when
someone recommended ‘The Slight Edge’. It confirmed that daily discipline is essential to success, not only in
business, but also in our personal lives.
Many of us define success as a destination rather than a journey. However, Olson encourages us to celebrate
that merely carrying out regular small steps towards our ultimate goals is success in itself. He believes it
provides us with a major boost to our self-esteem, confidence and happiness.
Olson quotes numerous examples of the power of taking small steps which gradually build into major achievements.
They range from the power of compound interest to the growth of a lily on a pond. Their results only become
obvious over time, but involve a lot of small daily changes.
The book has encouraged me to look at my personal goal setting in a new light. Every day I am now inexorably
moving towards my goals. Nothing can stop me from achieving them because all of my actions contribute to my
final destination. Every small step is a measure of my success and I don’t have to wait until I reach some far
off place to enjoy the fruits of my work.
It’s also helped me maintain a balanced view on the ups and downs of life. Things will not always go the way
you planned - sometimes you’re thrown off course by unexpected events. However, all will be well if you
recognise that’s just part of the process and you focus on your activity rather than the event.
‘The Slight Edge’ reminds us that success is a marathon not a sprint. Daily activities are easy to do… but also
easy not to do. And it’s this small difference that makes a big difference as time goes by.
I’ll leave you with this quote from the book:
'discipline weighs ounces, but regret weighs tons.’