BookBabble #56: "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson

"Turning simple disciplines into massive success and happiness"

Here we have a book on those incremental improvements that add up to huge gains down the line. Almost non-existent at the time but daily habits that you can't fully appreciate the magnitude of until you look back.

Much in the same ilk as Atomic Habits, The Power of Habit and The Compound Effect – all saying similar things in a slightly different manner but all amounting to the same message.

It's not the big things we do, but the smaller things added up over time that make the difference. They're quite easy to do - and therein lies part of the problem – but they're also easy not to do. It's about choosing what's comfortable or uncomfortable short-term and experiencing the opposite longer-term.

This means that they are underestimated and almost shunned whilst we look for the BIG thing that will get us to where we want to go.

But there isn't really a big thing (sure, some things move the lever more than others and have their place, but they can't be relied upon) and only these seemingly innocuous actions subtly move that needle. Everything matters.

Ok, let's pick out a few quotes…

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A few of my highlights from the book followed by my thoughts…

There are two prevalent types of attitudes: entitled and value-driven. A value-driven attitude says, “What can I do to help you?” An entitled attitude says, “What have you done for me lately?” An entitled attitude says, “Pay me more, and then maybe I’ll work harder.” A value-driven attitude says, “I’ll work harder, and then I expect you’ll pay me more.”

Giving first before expecting to receive. In fact, not having expectations at all but doing the right thing and offering value upfront. Too much entitlement won't get you anywhere but being of service and letting that speak for itself will be helpful to all.

Babe Ruth not only set a world record for home runs, he also led the league in strikeouts.

The old classic of the more hits you try, the more you'll get… but also the more you'll miss. It's a pure numbers game. We talked a bit about 'failure' in the last BookBabble and elsewhere in this series. In short, you gotta keep swinging!

Slow down to go fast

Less is more, more haste less speed etc. Sometimes taking a step back enables you to move forward more intelligently and may speed up the process, rather than rushing and maybe stalling as a result.

Each morning, write down three things you’re grateful for. Not the same three every day; find three new things to write about. That trains your brain to search your circumstances and hunt for the positive. Journal for two minutes a day about one positive experience you’ve had over the past twenty-four hours. Write down every detail you can remember; this causes your brain to literally re-experience the experience, which doubles its positive impact. Meditate daily. Nothing fancy; just stop all activity, relax, and watch your breath go in and out for two minutes. This trains your brain to focus where you want it to, and not get distracted by negativity in your environment.

There's a lot of good advice in this passage. Rather than me essentially repeat it, just read it through and see what you can apply.

Do a random act of kindness over the course of each day. To make this simple, Shawn often recommends a specific act of kindness: at the start of each day, take two minutes to write an email to someone you know praising them or thanking them for something they did. Exercise for fifteen minutes daily. Simple cardio, even a brisk walk, has a powerful antidepressant impact, in many cases stronger (and more long-lasting) than an actual antidepressant!

Continuing on from above – here we're talking about kindness. I'm not a fan of people on social media going on about it, usually in order to make themselves look good, and may or may not actually do it. What I do like is people just getting on and doing it without making an exhibition out of it. Being kind is a way of being, not an internet meme. Just do it and be a good person, as much for yourself as for anyone else.

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The second part is exercise. You can't be reading an article or book like this without realising the importance, and would be a bit lame for me to sing its praises here. It's obvious, it's just a case of whether you want to follow through and become that person.

The point is, we can all do something, so just get out for a walk on a daily basis, and maybe add in some bodyweight exercises here and there. That's all I mostly do – plenty of walking and daily push-ups or sit-ups. I'll miss a day here and there, and I'll do more (like running) in phases… but over the course of many years, I tend to do the basics regularly and consistently. Whilst not emphatic, I'm in pretty good shape (especially compared to most, although that's not saying much).

Of course, that all ties in with a decent diet. Again, don't complicate it… don't overeat, eat mostly the right things (you know what they are and aren't), and do it consistently over the course of your life and you'll do well. There are times you'll fall off the wagon – fine, get back on – and times you'll be absolutely smashing it (which probably won't last, and that's fine too) but overall living well which will show itself in a shorter period of time than you may think.

It's about becoming a certain type of person, rather than getting in shape for an event or such… that's just who you are and what you do.

Every morning write down three new things you’re grateful for. Journal for two minutes a day about a positive experience from the past 24 hours. Meditate daily for a few minutes. At the start of every day, write an email to someone praising or thanking them. Get fifteen minutes of simple cardio exercise a day.

Back to gratitude that was mentioned in an earlier highlight. We all know the importance, and we all need to take heed and be grateful. It's about just taking a little time to acknowledge rather than lamenting on all the things that aren't right.

You can do these specific things and/or just become that person as discussed in the previous point. Be that person who praises and does go the extra mile… within reason of course, you want it to be genuine and keep it special, rather than being over the top about it all.

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Meditation and a little cardio is mentioned also. Just 15 minutes a day of either or both will have a huge impact, it's not all or nothing (hammering the gym / 40 minute run etc), in fact quite the opposite. I'm sure we can all manage that…

Thanks Jeff! Anything Else?

There's a lot of repeating of the same message throughout, but then again that's the whole battle. If we could just read a sentence, get it and apply it then that would be great… but it needs to be reinforced to get into our psyche, and into our life.

The point is hammered home which is necessary for people to get a true understanding. I thought it was a great book, and another perspective on all this stuff.

As I say, check out Atomic Habits as that's probably the daddy of these kind of books now, along with The Power of Habit (which Atomic Habits really built on), The Compound Effect and more.

You can't go too far wrong with any of these works, but – and here's the kicker – you do have to actually apply it. Bummer eh?

To repeat: small daily actions done repeatedly, lead to big results over the months and years. This can be positive or negative, so cultivate the good habits and see where you are a year (or 5) down the line.

Don't focus too much on any perceived differences over the short-term as often they're almost impossible to see, just know that taking those actions each has a small effect and will show itself in good time.

As you're with yourself the whole time you may not even notice progress, but see someone you haven't seen for a while, and it will be all too obvious to them (and vice versa). Best make that a good impression!

It's true, one small decision won't make a big difference (in itself), but added up over time, along with the compounding of such decisions will indeed make all the difference.

And that is what makes the difference between those that do well, and those who don't…

Summary by the author:
@adambarratt/re-adambarratt-ixn6zmar
Video review:
@adambarratt/re-leothreads-m3xczfbq

First image my own, others linked to source