Which direction is your life moving toward? Have you set any goals for yourself, or is there an area you feel you want to strengthen? How do you determine improvement?
In The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, he gives the example of three friends, Larry, Scott, and Brad, and explains how, in over two years, their lives have drastically changed based on small choices and habits each created. Larry makes no change in his life and complains how nothing ever changes. Scott decides to make small changes, among them walking a couple extra thousand steps a day (less than a mile), and Brad decides to bring more fun in his life by buying a bigger TV and cooking decadent meals he’s seen on TV. Hardy explains that although not much has changed in five, 10, even 18 months, it isn’t until month 25 that measurable differences appear; by month 31, the changes are startling. Brad has gained a significant amount of weight while Scott has lost 33 pounds, and Larry is in the same place, only more bitter about it.
It is the small changes we make and continue to make daily that make the big difference over time.
Our lives took a change in March, when the coronavirus pandemic placed us in a situation of quarantine. We felt a change in routine and structure, and as we get back into routine, we are all still living with various changes.
“Did you remember your mask?”
“Oh, that place is no longer open.”
“We can’t dine in, to-go orders only.”
It is possible that you had created some great habits prior to March. It is also possible that you chose to create some great habits as a result of the pandemic. I did not. I chose to eat ice cream for dinner, make cream-cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers weekly, and add a couple glasses of wine to my daily routine.
When lockdown began, my children were on spring break, and my husband and I were supposed to go on an all-paid vacation he had won for work. We decided to embrace the slowdown by having fun and pretending we were on vacation. The lack of routine enabled new habits to form, and creating bad habits (like ice cream for dinner) was easier than creating healthy ones.
Unlike Larry, Scott, and Brad, I began noticing the effects after a few months. I didn’t notice the minimal changes; I was having fun on the porch with my margarita! The compound effect was taking effect, and I was not noticing how my small changes were taking a toll on my body. Needless to say, after a few months, I noticed I had gained some pounds.
Small shifts and daily choices create an impact, and that impact is noticeable over time. We can choose to eat ice cream for dinner, but we must be aware that choice comes with certain consequences. We can also make a choice to eat a healthy salad for dinner; that choice will also come with consequences.
The compound effect works in all aspects of life. Like Larry, we can make no change in our life and yet reinforce the belief, or frustration, of nothing changing. We become really good at what we practice; what are you practicing?
Without concrete evidence, it is hard to identify what is going on. This is where tracking behavior becomes necessary. Tracking or logging brings awareness to what is going on. Athletes track, Vegas tracks, Facebook tracks. There is evidence in what we repeatedly do and how we behave.
Tracking brings awareness to what is there and is then able to give you an outline on how to create small shifts in the direction you want to go in. For me, I began tracking what I eat. Although there are several apps for tracking food, I am using an old school pad and pen.
Creating positive shifts in our lives start with the awareness that a shift needs to be made in the first place. I encourage you to track an area of your life and create a positive change!
