Change, Action & the Power of Compound Interest
Charles Duhig’s prolific work in the book ‘The Power of Habit’, contains various insights that allow you to identify the key traits of your habits and perhaps allow you to make, modify or mute habits that serve to improve the quality of your life. I am a self-development junkie and the downside to having read so many great…..and …. not so great books / manifesto’s on self-development is that one tends to become ingrained in the student mindset vs the ‘oh my gosh I have finally graduated and now I have to do something with all this’ mindset. The comfort of the student mindset is the proverbial Siren’s Song that only adds more verses as you approach your 40’s. E.g. I just need a few more books on ‘taking action’ before I am ready to do so. Changing your mental models becomes a more difficult task and life altering decisions become much easier to discuss, theorize, plan and lecture others on vs ….say……. actually acting on.
The comfort of the student mindset is the proverbial Siren’s Song that only adds more verses as you approach your 40’s.
Yet, there is always the chance for both constructive and deconstruction change at any point in our existence. It is the dichotomy of this outcome that often works as mental fodder which encompasses inaction. The option and outcomes of action are one of the very things that make us human. Adam and Eve pioneered choice and circumstance in a well-documented case that ended with the first line of organic clothes, hard labor and ‘childbirth that hurts like a mofo’.
When I think about the commitment and discomfort of making a change in my life I recall a quote by Tony Robbins who stated: “Change happens when the pain of staying the same is perceived as greater than the pain of change.” While this is a true and powerful statement, it is incomplete (IMHO). I say this because right off the top of your head, I would venture to speculate that you could name at least a few friends or family members who are suffering more because they are avoiding change vs embracing it. The issue is that for most people, the requirements of change often involve more discomfort / pain in a shorter amount of time than not changing at all. How about that person who is so focused on the discomfort of the first few weeks of ‘adaptation’ required when losing weight or getting in shape. In their case, one could easily argue, “No, the pain of getting up at 5 am to go sweat for an hour is much worse than the ‘pain’ of sleeping in”.
The issue is that for most people, the requirements of change often involve more discomfort / pain in a shorter amount of time than not changing at all.
Einstein is often attributed with the quote “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it”. It’s a very profound and powerful insight, although, I have heard various authors argue that there is no proof that Einstein actually ever made that statement. In this case, it stands to reason that the ‘Pain’ of change is modeled more along the gradual lines of that of compound interest. The downside of a day of being sedentary is not all that significant nor apparent. A week though, that leaves us a bit lethargic and it may take a few days to get our energy and momentum back. A Month, a year, a few years…… now, we are dealing with the potential of long term effects of a healthy vs unhealthy lifestyles such as heart disease, diabetes or even stretch marks. The sad fact is that the latter of these consequences often stirs more people to immediate action than the former two.
In this case, it stands to reason that the ‘Pain’ of change is modeled more along the gradual lines of that of compound interest.
What does your compounded interest future look like and what is the short term pain that is currently hindering you from achieving it? Seriously, feel free to share a sentence below. Odds are that you are not getting closer to it by ‘mindlessly’ scrolling various app feeds, Netflix releases or Web deal sites,(all of which are weaknesses of mine to some extent), but then….. you already knew that.
