Compound Impact

Trying to move the needle for any goal requires persistence. I use a technique called setting the minimum quite a bit. It helps transition from hoping and wanting, to action.

The action steps we take are what will determine success or failure. Getting to those steps isn’t always easy. In fact, often we procrastinate and hold back on acting.

There are several reasons for this. We might be scared. We might let our ego tell us it is too risky for our image. We might not know what to do.

Regardless of the reasons, we need to start taking steps forward. Setting the minimum is a technique that I use to avoid waiting for the perfect plan. It gets me to start right away. It involves finding a tiny action that you can take now. Then, make it consistent by setting that as the least daily amount that will do.

This is perfect for exercise. Instead of waiting to have that gym membership, start by doing a few pushups every day. Instead of waiting until spring to start running, start doing an exercise bike now.

This helps us get moving. It gets us to act. It allows us to start small. It makes it easy instead of hard. We take that first tiny step towards our goals.

With setting the minimum, we don’t have to stop after that tiny amount was accomplished. We can keep going as much as we want. But tomorrow, the minimum is reset to today’s level. It doesn’t increase.

This makes it easy to keep going. It allows us to maximize those moments when we are motivated to push further.

Setting the minimum is one simple way to utilize compounding. Compounding takes your actions and starts to leverage them. We gain more benefit the longer we do it. Just as compound interest has much more value in the future, our efforts return minimum value today but maximum value tomorrow.

This is because setting the minimum turns those small actions into new habits. Soon we do them habitually. We don’t think about them or struggle to maintain them. In fact, we barely think about them because they seem to “just happen.”

This means our focus can shift to the next layer in the new system you are building. A new positive habit is great, but you need multiple actions towards most goals to see any real accomplishment.

You can move to the next action step and systematize it. It creates more momentum. It solidifies the direction you want to travel.

In the future, you will have numerous habits driving you towards success. They will be compounding and providing extreme value in the future. They will occur naturally, without much effort or willpower because they are habit.

Setting the minimum is one technique to do this but isn’t the only one. You could see it when you get education and then apply what you learn. You can get it through multiple passive income streams that you build up over time.

While setting the minimum has advantages because it is easy to apply, it represents a broader system that shows how to start a feedback loop to create future value.

Regardless of how, you must discover the power of compounding to fully maximize your life. It helps to avoid the common, recurring struggles we all face by giving you a blueprint to overcome and succeed.