One Percent Per Day

A shorter post today, but the concept is not to be taken lightly. I am presenting you with the key in making amazing gains, all by getting only a slight bit better each day at whatever it is you are pursuing. I’ve made a post about Kaizen and consistency before, but this one includes a little mathematics that are mind blowing.

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world” - Albert Einstein

In life, success isn’t linear, and making progress is not linear either. Both are EXPONENTIAL. By putting in a little today, you get out more tomorrow, and then putting in a proportional amount tomorrow, you continue to see growth that creates an avalanche.

This is what I tell myself everyday when I wake up, because I personally have seen the success before my own eyes, I’ve lived it, and in doing so, have accepted the ultimate truth and key to what will make you into whatever you want to be.

Ready for the secret?

Here it is:

1% per day, compounded over the course of a year leads to a 38x return.

If a fund makes 10% per year, they are considered an excellent investment, and will be able to raise billions in capital. I am today, handing you an investment that will generate 3700%. You would be the richest man in the universe in no time.

You are, of course, investing in yourself, and your skills, relationships, and personal goals. But, who couldn’t be a king with that type of gain? In a year, if you were at a level 1 in something, you would be at 38. If you were at a “10” you would end the year at a 380.

You suck at a language, perhaps you are at a 2.

Make a 1% gain per day for one full year, and you will be at 75 by year’s end.

So, by practicing something for 20 minutes per day, you can become highly proficient at it in a year’s time. You could be in the top 1% of that skill in 3 years time, and nobody would be able to catch you in 5 year’s time, unless they were making the same type of gain.

I’ve seen it myself.

As a hockey player, I was selected to one of the lowest teams in my age group. I applied myself, getting 1% better everytime I stepped on the ice. By the end of a year, I was on a AA squad, by the end of my career, I was considered for college.

In the gym, I started at 145 pounds soaking wet at 6 feet tall. In 3 years time, I would be over 200 pounds, capable of deadlifting close to 470 pounds. All it took was getting 1% better a day in the weightroom.

When I was in the hospital, recovering from a broken back, I promised myself to just get 1% better per day, take one more step on the parallel bars than yesterday, add 0.5 pounds to a lift. Within 3 months, I was walking again, in a year’s time, I was walking to the point that nobody knew I had been paralyzed.*

It applies to everything.

You aren’t good at coding? Great, get 1% better per day, and in a year, I guarantee you will have a job.

You aren’t good at writing? Awesome, write everyday, getting a little better each time. In a year’s time, you will have written close to 200k words if you only wrote 500 a day. And, the words you will have written by the end of the year will be like a different person from 300 days ago.

You aren’t good at talking to people? Go talk to one person per day, in a year, you will have no fear whatsoever, you will be able to hold a conversation with anyone you cross paths with.

You aren’t good at guitar? Practice 20 minutes per day, by the end of the year, you could probably play one of the more complicated songs out there. And, it will sound good.

You aren’t good at sales? Call 2 people per day, by the end of the year, some of them will be your clients.

You aren’t good at anything? In a year, you will be better than you ever imagined possible.

You take those gains and your 38x return becomes over 1400 next year. 50,000 after 3 years, 1.8 million after 4, 65 million after 5, and trillions after 10 years.

If you understand that, the rest is up to you.