When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to play Varsity volleyball as a sophomore.
It was exciting and fun for my young self.
But there was a problem: I wasn’t very good.
I struggled through the season, and when it ended, I knew I needed to do something to feel like I could play with the others next year.
So, on my own time in the off-season, I looked up a jumping program and followed it. 4-5 days a week I practiced jumping in my basement at home. It was only 20 minutes, and for a long time, I noticed no difference at all.
But by the time the next volleyball season rolled around, I suddenly was able to jump higher than nearly everyone else. I was blocking girls much taller than me.
And I was stunned at the difference just this ONE skill improvement made.
I made no other skill gains, but I earned both the Most Improved and State Honorable Mention Awards that year.
Best of all, it was an incredible lesson in the power of habits.
You see, even if you do something SMALL, but you’re willing to keep at it, the payoff will be there in the end.
That goes for my old high school jumping program.
But it also goes for the salad you choose to eat at lunch. (You’ll be pounds lighter in months)
That job skill you’re cultivating daily. (Giving you a huge edge over your competition in the long run)
Or the books you read to your 4 year old every night. (Helping your kids become great learners for life)
A 1% improvement today is a 38% improvement in a year. If you can look past today’s results, and keep at it, you’ll be STUNNED by what comes in a month, and especially what you see in a year.
On the flip side, what if you don’t change your habits at all? What will that look like for you? Maybe not today or tomorrow, but what will it look like in 5 to 10 years? Visualize where you’ll be with and without a small change now.
Why This Can Be Hard
In today’s society, we’re trained to value the quick results, time-saving hacks, and cheat sheets to success. The problem with this is that ALL SUCCESS takes patience. Regardless of what area it’s in. If you can train yourself to play the waiting game, you can achieve anything.