The Compound Effect

I read this at the recommendation of someone I respect. But honestly, that person is far more inspirational than Mr. Hardy, who truth-to-tell, seems like such a Robbins knock-off that he makes my teeth itch. So much namedropping.

The thing that really galls me about this genre of self-help books is how all of these guys are talking about personal development, and using as proof, acquisition of material goods. How to make more money, how to get a bigger house, a better car, yada yada yada. They could be, or do, so much more, if they could take a step sideways out of the corporatist merry-go-round. But nope. It's just a repetitive circle of chest-thumping sales-bro-ism. And it's tedious.

Gonna go read something by Tim De Christopher to show more cleanse my palate. show less

I really liked the idea of a little extra effort multiplying your growth exponentially. But I have to admit I had more of a negative feeling when I finished this than a positive one. As my own personal slave-driver, I'm always believing that no matter what I do, it's not good enough. So it was hard to hear that I should do a little more.

Short and actionable. Little to no filler and great at motivating for action and setting sustainable achievable goals.

Not a lot of new concepts to readers already into improving through consistency, but a great entry point for people looking for a toolkit for how to set and achieve goals.

The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy reread 5/25/24

Why I picked this book up: I am interested in reading some useful financial material so I picked it up.

Thoughts: In 'The Compound Effect', Darren Hardy reveals the core principles that drive success, and presents a distillation of the fundamental principles that have guided the most phenomenal successes in business, relationships, and beyond. This is an easy-to-use, step-by-step, no gimmicks, no hyperbole, no magic bullet operating system that allows you to multiply your success, chart your progress, and achieve anything you desire. It is based on the principle that decisions shape your destiny and how little, everyday decisions will, by show more default, either take you to the life you desire or to disaster. If you're serious about living an extraordinary life, you must use the power of this book to create the success you want. This book will teach you how to: Win—every single time Get rid of your bad habits, some of which even you might be unaware of Get yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing Recognize and utilize the powerful but elusive force of momentum Easily inculcate in yourself the important disciplines necessary for major breakthroughs Secrets that make super achievers accelerate past you on the road to success, amongst much more.
being born in America we are all very lucky, use tracking, keep tack of bx for a full week, spending money, if I spend $50 at Costco is that worth spending vs. investing it and making $250?, weight gaining, working out, he kept a journal for a year if all the good and positive things his wife did and gave it to her on thanksgiving (great idea to use), start early, save money, 10% less each.

I loved this book. He gave great, useful, effective, supported ideas to succeed. He used funny things, has interesting and gathered lots pf things from others in his life and suggests practical things.

Why I finished this read: He seemed to be personal, logical, grounded and willing to help his readers. He made me laugh a couple times, seems to love his wife, appears structured, has plans and goals and seems to be doing it well. interests in standing on the shoulders of giants that came before me. He reviewed things that have worked and not, grew up with a single father, a football coach and lays out a simple work ethic and importance of commitment and consistency.

Stars rating: I read other reviews that were very negative but I liked it a lot and highly recommend reading this book and putting it into use.

I give this 5 out of 5 stars. show less

A little gem of a book, tells you how to gt out of all the self-defeating habits and set yourself to achieving your purposes. The greatest recommendation is that it is short- just some 160 pages - and gets to the point without waffle. The action steps it suggests are simple, practical, effective, and eminently doable.

I am not a great believer in get rich quick schemes, lose weight in 7 days, love at first sight, etc and so does this book.

This book is very different from the nonsense that media fills your mind everyday.

The best thing about the book is that it teaches you to work hard. There is no such thing as an overnight success. You have to work hard considerably everyday to make the compound effect work in favour of you.

According to the Author, the Compound Effect is always at work. You can make it work for you or it will work against you. He gives the example of three friends. One friend tries to improve himself everyday. He spends some time with his wife, walks for half an hour everyday, cuts 125 calories less in his diet and reads show more motivational books everyday. The second friend does nothing and is a little bitter about life. The third friend rarely exercises, spends enormous amount of hours watching TV everyday, takes his wife for granted and has a cookie and beer everyday to enjoy life.

The result after 2 and a half years: The third friend is now obese, has got health problems and loses his job and wife. The second friend remains the same and now is more bitter than before. The first friend remains trim, has a happy relationship with his wife and gets a job promotion.

You can see the compound effect in action.

The Author gives lots of examples like the one above. The plane analogy, the pump analogy and the steam engine analogy.

It is the small things we do in life that makes the biggest of differences. You don't become obese overnight nor do you lose your wealth instantly. It is all a compound effect of bad decisions taken almost everyday over a considerable period of time.

Most importantly the Author has some very practical suggestions to implement good habits and get rid of bad ones. So if you want to lose weight, what many people do, is to buy an expensive gym membership, new gym clothes and shoes to exercise. They work out intensively for an hour a day for 7 days. Then they give up disappointed with the results. Instead the Author suggests that it is better to walk 10 minutes a day and slowly increase it till it becomes a habit like brushing your teeth. In this way you will have long lasting impact for your health.

The Compound effect is always in action be it finance, business, health, relationships or your spirituality.

It is also important to take things slowly. Work everyday and without burning out, you will have the compound effect giving you the biggest momentum in a few years time.

I am already implementing his advice in my life and feel that in taking things slowly, I am able to adopt healthier long lasting habits.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants success in life whether it is being healthy, relationship improvement or your wealth. show less

Darren Hardy's straightforward approach and actionable steps make it easy to implement small changes that lead to significant results. Whether it's improving finances, health, or relationships, this book offers practical strategies that anyone can apply.