The Compound Effect

The core message in The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy is simple.

If you want to change your life, you have to change something you do daily.

The idea is that small steps consistently will change your life. Very similar to the way compound interest works. Mathematicians are always explaining with pensions start young and put away consistently. By starting young and being consistent you will make your money work harder for you.

Hardy is suggesting this is in the same in other aspects of life. Although it may be difficult in the beginning there will be a point where momentum kicks in and you will truly feel the effect of all habits you have instilled in your life.

To ensure that you are committing to making daily steps towards your goals Hardy suggest tracking. This isn’t rock science, but I think is so useful. I track my spending (as I want to save) and I track my exercise (as I want to get fit). Tracking both of these things means I am aware and know whether I am moving closer or further away from my self-selected goal.

Hardy discusses the idea of creating a lifestyle you can imagine living forever. As a 20-something that is a fairly scary idea. However, I understand the purpose. When you decide to make habits in your life that you believe you can do forever you are being realistic. There is no point pretending you are going to eat lettuce for the rest of your life. You are just setting yourself up to fail.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fairly quick read, simple concept with chapters that flowed. Not a ground-breaking read, but enjoyable and useful.