Insights from The Compound Effect
Insight #1: Go Small This Year
Instead of doing too much too fast this year, like committing to an hour-long exercise routine several times a week or trying to transform a relationship with grand gestures, focus on small, consistent choices that will compound throughout the year and lead to surprising results.
Start by selecting choices that can have a ripple effect of positive benefits across your life. Author Darren Hardy suggests starting with the following daily choices to experience massive improvements in our relationships and productivity over time, creating a positive ripple effect in other areas of our lives:
Compounding Daily Choice #1: Gratitude for One Person
When Darren Hardy wanted to strengthen his relationship with his wife, he began a yearlong gratitude journal dedicated to her. Each day, he wrote down one specific thing he appreciated about her—whether it was a thoughtful gesture, a kind word, the way she smiled, or her unwavering support during a tough moment. This practice deepened his appreciation for her and shifted how he treated her each day. She responded with similar warmth and positivity, creating a powerful cycle that enriched their relationship.
Being with someone you genuinely appreciate—and who feels that appreciation—can significantly boost your happiness and provide the extra energy needed to pursue your professional goals and stay productive. Moreover, by practicing gratitude in your most important relationship, you’ll naturally cultivate gratitude for others, sparking a ripple effect of improved interactions and stronger connections.
Compounding Daily Choice #2 100% Responsibility
Hardy learned to view relationship responsibility not as 50/50 or 80/20, but 100/0. That means he takes 100% responsibility for everything that goes wrong in his relationships—a misunderstanding, a fight, or a lack of intimacy with his wife. Since he doesn’t expect anyone else to make his relationships work, he initiates difficult conversations, works hard to resolve conflicts, and never holds a grudge. This choice fundamentally changed the trajectory of his relationships and his life.
To make a similar shift—choose not to wait for your partner, friends, or family to do the right thing. Take 100% responsibility for the state of your relationships and lead the effort to make them great.
You’ll find the choice to “take 100% responsibility” ripples throughout your life. If you’re not exercising as much as you want, you’ll stop blaming a busy life and make time for it. Choosing to take 100% responsibility means refusing to make excuses.
Compounding Daily Choice #3: Track One Behavior
Choose to track one personal metric each day—discretionary spending, calories, push-ups, time on your most important project, or quality time with your kids. You’ll find that tracking a personal metric for just 14 days dramatically improves your awareness and effortlessly shifts your behavior. If you’re tracking your spending, for example, you’ll naturally catch yourself at the store about to put an item in your basket and think, “Do I really need this?”—and you’ll lose the urge to buy it.
Once you build one behavior-tracking habit, you’ll become conscious of other behaviors and more intentional with your time and effort. Hardy attributes much of his success to tracking, which made him conscious of his actions and their impact.
Action Plan #1:
This year, commit to 1–3 small daily choices that could lead to a significant transformation a year from now—consider choosing gratitude, 100% responsibility, and tracking.
Insight #1: Go Small This Year
Instead of doing too much too fast this year, like committing to an hour-long exercise routine several times a week or trying to transform a relationship with grand gestures, focus on small, consistent choices that will compound throughout the year and lead to surprising results.
Start by selecting choices that can have a ripple effect of positive benefits across your life. Author Darren Hardy suggests starting with the following daily choices to experience massive improvements in our relationships and productivity over time, creating a positive ripple effect in other areas of our lives:
Compounding Daily Choice #1: Gratitude for One Person
When Darren Hardy wanted to strengthen his relationship with his wife, he began a yearlong gratitude journal dedicated to her. Each day, he wrote down one specific thing he appreciated about her—whether it was a thoughtful gesture, a kind word, the way she smiled, or her unwavering support during a tough moment. This practice deepened his appreciation for her and shifted how he treated her each day. She responded with similar warmth and positivity, creating a powerful cycle that enriched their relationship.
Being with someone you genuinely appreciate—and who feels that appreciation—can significantly boost your happiness and provide the extra energy needed to pursue your professional goals and stay productive. Moreover, by practicing gratitude in your most important relationship, you’ll naturally cultivate gratitude for others, sparking a ripple effect of improved interactions and stronger connections.
Compounding Daily Choice #2 100% Responsibility
Hardy learned to view relationship responsibility not as 50/50 or 80/20, but 100/0. That means he takes 100% responsibility for everything that goes wrong in his relationships—a misunderstanding, a fight, or a lack of intimacy with his wife. Since he doesn’t expect anyone else to make his relationships work, he initiates difficult conversations, works hard to resolve conflicts, and never holds a grudge. This choice fundamentally changed the trajectory of his relationships and his life.
To make a similar shift—choose not to wait for your partner, friends, or family to do the right thing. Take 100% responsibility for the state of your relationships and lead the effort to make them great.
You’ll find the choice to “take 100% responsibility” ripples throughout your life. If you’re not exercising as much as you want, you’ll stop blaming a busy life and make time for it. Choosing to take 100% responsibility means refusing to make excuses.
Compounding Daily Choice #3: Track One Behavior
Choose to track one personal metric each day—discretionary spending, calories, push-ups, time on your most important project, or quality time with your kids. You’ll find that tracking a personal metric for just 14 days dramatically improves your awareness and effortlessly shifts your behavior. If you’re tracking your spending, for example, you’ll naturally catch yourself at the store about to put an item in your basket and think, “Do I really need this?”—and you’ll lose the urge to buy it.
Once you build one behavior-tracking habit, you’ll become conscious of other behaviors and more intentional with your time and effort. Hardy attributes much of his success to tracking, which made him conscious of his actions and their impact.
Action Plan #1:
This year, commit to 1–3 small daily choices that could lead to a significant transformation a year from now—consider choosing gratitude, 100% responsibility, and tracking.
