The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success

by Darren Hardy

The bottom line is that you already know what you need to succeed. You don’t need to learn anything more. If all we needed was more information, everyone with an internet connection would live in a mansion, have abs of steel, and be blissfully happy. You do not need new information—you need a new plan of action. It is time to create new behaviors and habits oriented away from sabotage and toward success. It’s that simple.

Most people drift through life without devoting much conscious energy to figuring out specifically what they want and what they need to do to take themselves there.

“If you want to have more, you have to become more. Success is not something you pursue. What you pursue will elude you; it can be like trying to chase butterflies. Success is something you attract by the person you become.”

Personally, I’m always happy when something is hard. Why? Because I know that most people won’t do what it takes. Therefore, it will be easier for me to step in front of the pack and take the lead.

Of all the high-achievers and business leaders I’ve worked with and observed, I’ve noticed not only do they have good habits, but each has developed consistent routines for carrying out their daily disciplines. It’s the only way any of us can predictably regulate our behavior. There simply isn’t any way around it. A daily routine built on good habits and disciplines separates the most successful among us from everyone else. A routine is exceptionally powerful.

It’s important to cash out your day’s performance. Compared to your plan for the day, how did it go? What do you need to carry over to tomorrow’s plan? What else needs to be added, based on what showed up throughout the day? What’s no longer important and needs to be scratched out? Additionally, I like to log any new ideas, ah-has or insights I picked up throughout the day in my journal—this is how I’ve collected more than forty journals of incredible ideas, insights, and strategies. Finally, I like to read at least ten pages of an inspirational book before going to sleep. I know the mind continues to process the last information consumed before bedtime, so I want to focus my attention on something constructive and helpful in making progress with my goals and ambitions. That’s it. All hell can break loose throughout the day, but because I control the bookends, I know I’m always going to start and finish strong.

Your thought process, the conversation in your head, is at the base of the results you create in life. So the question is, What are you thinking about? What is influencing and directing your thoughts? The answer: whatever you’re allowing yourself to hear and see. This is the input you are feeding your brain.