31 | π± Change won't happen overnight
Bonjour,
As ever, this email is a way for me to think out loud about things that I've read/watched/listened to/spoken about over the last week.
By thinking out loud, I get to share the stuff I think is pretty cool with others - who hopefully find it interesting and useful too.
This week's email is exactly that. Something I heard on a podcast, that's stuck with me all week.
Once again, it's from the Diary of a CEO (104 - Life Changing Lessons From 100 Of The World's Greatest Minds).
I'm a big believer in the one degree of change. If you have two parallel lines, and you move one by 1Β°, it may not seem much at first. But there's a really big difference between where you start and where you end up.
β Jamil Qureshi
What do we want? CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!
Where I fall down - like every other person on the planet - is because I'm looking for change as soon as possible.
We all want 5 minute abs, summer bodies, or to learn new skills straight away.
It's really hard to get around the fact that improvement takes time.
We give up, and end up changing nothing.
It doesn't mean a drastic change over the course of a week.
It means small, 1% changes, day by day, that add up over time.
Bill Gates said this on the topic (known as Gatesβs Law):
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.
This sort of timeframe works great for establishing a career that you love, creating a family, or perhaps finally overcoming - or at least learning to live with - trauma.
But if we scale it down a bit, assuming that Bill doesn't mind:
Most people overestimate what they can do in a day/month, and underestimate what they can do in a month/year.
Matt D'Avella's online platform Slow Growth is formed around the central pillar that growth should be a slow, considered process.
It works on the basis that growth comes from consistency over time.
A small change, such as a few gym sessions a week, won't make a big difference over the course of a month.
But after a year - 100+ gym sessions later... you get the picture.
Pushing past our human instinct to only look in the short term, focusing instead on small, consistent 1% improvements, are where true growth comes from.
It's simple:
Just start. Get into a rhythm (consistency). Give it some time (patience). Then look at the progress (long term thinking). Repeat (growth).
Until next week!
Thanks π
If you found this interesting and useful, feel free to subscribe. I send emails like this every Tuesday - see you next week ππΌ
What have I learned this week? π€
Progress takes time. Expecting quick results leads to disappointment, which prevents progress.
This Weekβs Recommendation π
Recipe π° -Β Chocolate Orange Brownies
I'm writing this from the kitchen table as I wait for these brownies to finish baking in the oven. I'm recommending this recipe because it can't not be good, although truthfully I won't know until tomorrow if they are. It's chocolate with orange, in the form of a brownie. What could go wrong?
This Week Iβm: β¬οΈ
Reading π -Β Designing Your Life - Bill Burnett & Dave Evans. This book claims to help you build the perfect career, so expect to see a few snippets in the near future.
Listening to π§ -Β How to Build a Happy Life (Podcast - 6 episodes so far). Downloaded but not listened to just yet. 'In this series, Arthur C. Brooks sees to uncover how we can live more joyful lives.'
Visiting π - Bristol this weekend!
Looking forward to π - Daylight in the evenings...
This Weekβs Quote π¬
I finished Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune last week. I wasn't a huge fan of the book by the end, but a quote in the 'About the Author' section really struck me:
TJ Klune is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown) and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company.
From a claims examiner for an insurance company, to a best selling author. I think that's quite inspiring.
Question π€
This sounds preachy, so I'll direct it to myself, and preface it by saying that it's something that is constantly on my mind at the minute.
How much time do I spend on social media? What do I gain from it?
There we have it!
Looking forward to catching up next week.
In the meantime, find me onΒ Twitter,Β InstagramΒ andΒ YouTube, and have a look at what Iβm reading onΒ Goodreads. Ciao!