I wrote an article about the Compound Effect well over a year ago – I’m sure some of you will remember it?! It is such an important point that I wanted to share it with you again and add a little extra, just for fun!
It went along the lines of explaining to my Detox Club how eating just one extra chocolate biscuit per day has a dramatic effect on your weight!
Let’s say the biscuit is 125 calories, now, I’m not a great fan of calorie counting, but using it in this instance really helps demonstrate the point. Each day you consume that one extra biscuit, after one week you have now consumed an extra 875 calories, but after just one month you’ve consumed around 3,762 extra calories!!! It takes 3500 on average to add a pound of weight on. So, in one month you’ve gained one pound in weight, at this stage you’re probably not that concerned – after all, one pound is nothing, it’s easy to lose, isn’t it??
So, you continue with that extra biscuit, it’s a habit now, you’re looking forward to it, feeling the need for it with your mid-morning cup of coffee, so you keep it going. At the end of the year, you’ve now put on a whopping 12lbs!!!
Looks somewhat different now, seems a little unfair to you as all you’ve had is an extra biscuit!
That is the compound effect – you don’t immediately see the effect, it takes a while to notice, but if you keep doing the same thing, the effect is very dramatic.
Scary stuff when we put it like that.
So, let’s flip it and turn it into a positive – if you cut down by only one biscuit a day, think what a dramatic difference that would make to your weight and your health.
The point here is CONSISTENCY!
I love the above example because we can all relate to it and let’s face it, it is shocking: 12lbs is a lot of extra weight!
But, it doesn’t just apply to weight, you can apply this to every are of your life.
Think what you could be capable of achieving if EVERY day you did one small step towards your goals ……where would YOU be by this time next year?!
Now, like you, I can be a bit of a slow learner, I read something like this and think wow, that’s great….then I carry on as normal, and guess what’ nothing changes.
But, one day a couple of years ago, I actually started putting the Compound Effect into practice. Yes, I fall off the wagon every now and again……but I am far far more consistent than I ever was.
I have put this into practice in ALL areas of my life, Work, Relationships, Health, Finance and Happiness.
The results: I am fitter, healthier, happier, have more time, have more money, doing more of the things that I want to do – life is pretty good. Of course there is room improvement, that’s the fun of it…….but remember if you keep doing exactly the same thing, then how can you expect anything to change?!
What do YOU want to change…..Imagine how the Compound Effect could work for your Finances or Health??