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Slight Edge PDF

The document summarizes key concepts from the book "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. It discusses how small, simple daily disciplines can lead to massive success and happiness over time through compounding effects. The Slight Edge philosophy advocates for consistently taking small positive actions rather than waiting for some big transformation. Small choices like eating healthy, exercising regularly and avoiding distractions can create momentum towards goals. Most people give up too early before the effects of their choices become apparent. Maintaining progress through daily efforts, even when facing setbacks, can help stay on course to achieve dreams over years instead of giving up at the first signs of difficulty.

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2K views5 pages

Slight Edge PDF

The document summarizes key concepts from the book "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. It discusses how small, simple daily disciplines can lead to massive success and happiness over time through compounding effects. The Slight Edge philosophy advocates for consistently taking small positive actions rather than waiting for some big transformation. Small choices like eating healthy, exercising regularly and avoiding distractions can create momentum towards goals. Most people give up too early before the effects of their choices become apparent. Maintaining progress through daily efforts, even when facing setbacks, can help stay on course to achieve dreams over years instead of giving up at the first signs of difficulty.

Uploaded by

jeff
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Slight Edge 

Turning Simple Disciplines Into Massive Success and Happiness 


Jeff Olson 
 

Book Overview from the Publisher 


The  Slight  Edge  is  a  way  of  thinking,  a way of processing information that enables you to make the daily 
choices  that  will  lead  you  to  the  success and happiness you desire. Learn why some people make dream 
after  dream  come  true,  while  others  just  continue  dreaming  and  spend  their  lives  building  dreams  for 
someone  else.  It’s  not  just  another  self-help  motivation  tool  of  methods  you must learn in order to travel 
the  path  to  success.  It  shows  you  how  to  create  powerful  results  from  the  simple daily activities of your 
life, by using tools that are already within you. 
 
In this 8th anniversary edition you’ll read not only the life-changing concepts of the original book, but also 
learn  what  author  Jeff  Olson  discovered  as  he  continued  along  the  slight  edge  path:  the  Secret  to 
Happiness and the Ripple Effect. 
 
This  edition  of  ​The  Slight  Edge  isn’t just the story, but also how the story continues to create life-altering 
dynamics—how  a  way  of  thinking,  a  way  of  processing  information,  can  impact  daily  choices  that  will 
lead you to the success and happiness you desire. ​The Slight Edge is “the key” that will make all the other 
how-to books and self-help information that you read, watch and hear actually work. 
 

KEY POINTS COVERED IN THIS SUMMARY: 


1. Fundamental idea ​- Find out what the slight edge is and why 
understanding it is important 
2. We all start with a penny ​- A mindset for not giving up too easily 
3. Rocket to the moon -​ What to do during off-course moments  
4. Always be in motion ​- The key to momentum and progress 

1) What is the Slight Edge? 


 
The  slight  edge  is  all  about  doing  the  small things that we don’t think matter but are the things 
that actually do matter. It works both in the positive and the negative. 
  
EXAMPLE: The little things you do for your health 
 
 

www.2000books.com 
 
 
POSITIVE SLIGHT EDGE  NEGATIVE SLIGHT EDGE 

Eating a salad  Grabbing a cookie 

Going for a 3 to 6-mile run on a daily basis  Watching TV when you come home from work 
 
It doesn't even seem like those activities really matter. A salad here and a 3-mile run there seem 
small  and  not  even  that  exciting.  There's  nothing  grand  about them. There are no big moves at 
all. 
 
Similarly,  that  cookie  does  not  really  seem  much  of  a  failure.  You're  not  going  to  die  of  a  heart 
attack  just  because  you  ate  a  cookie  right  now.  It's  not  really  a  matter  of  life  or  death.  Same 
with watching TV -- it's not gonna affect you that way and it's not really a big move.  
 
The  thing  about  the  slight  edge  is  that  initially  you’d  feel like there's no difference. You feel like 
nothing is changing, so you don't realize it's a big deal at all.  
 
But  over  time  it  builds  momentum.  Over  time  it  catches  up  and  keeps  on  growing  to  the  point 
where  the  effect  of  your  positive  slight  edge  becomes  really  big  just  as  the  effect  of  your 
negative slight edge also gets really big.  
 
At  that  point  it  becomes  hard  to  break  these  small  habits.  They  can  either take you all the way 
to success or to disaster. ​The choice is always yours.  
 
It's always in the small moments, the small slight edge choices,  
where you can really change your life. 
 

2) We All Start with a “Penny” 


 
Most people give up way too early on most endeavors in their lives.  
 
Let's  say  someone  plants  a  seed  in  the  soil.  Most  people  would  think  the  seed  hasn't  really 
germinated  yet,  or  maybe  the  seed  has  germinated  but  the  plant  is  just  too  small.  Even after a 
while  when  the  plant  has  grown,  they  would  think  it's  just  not  big  enough.  Its  progress  is  not 
fast enough, so they give up way on it before the plant has the opportunity to grow bigger.  
 
This  common  but  very  profound  example  mirrors life. Majority of people will overestimate what 
they can accomplish in a year and underestimate what they can accomplish in 10 years.  
 

www.2000books.com 
What we need to do instead is change our expectations.  
 
Underestimate what you expect to get done in a year.  
Overestimate what you can do in 10 years.  
 
This is because in 10 years, we can do a lot. 
 
And once we know that we can accomplish a lot in 10 years --  
● we can keep the momentum 
● we can keep that confidence  
● we can keep that excitement going for our endeavor 
 
But  if  we  think  that even after 10 years we won't get much done, then it would be hard to keep 
that confidence going.  
 
It’s  natural  tendency for all of us to overestimate what we can do in a year, and to give up when 
we  don't  accomplish  those  lofty  goals  within  the  same  period  of  time.  We  tend  to  give  up  our 
efforts and move on to another. 
 

The Doubling Penny Effect 


 
Let's say you are given a penny that doubles every single day.  
● So the next day it’s two pennies.  
● In  10  days  it  will  only  be  $5,  and  a  lot  of  people  will  be  ready  to  give  up  right  around 
then.  
● In  another  10  days,  you  have  $5,000.  Some  would  think  “a  little  bit  of  a  difference, but 
still not a lot of money…”  
● But in another 10 days, by Day 30, it's $5.4 million. 
 
Most  people will give up right around the early phases of any endeavor, just when they're about 
to  start  seeing  results,  because  they  don't  trust  that  it  will  all  work  out.  They  don't  realize  that 
we  all  have  to  start  with  a  penny.  We  all  have  to  start  somewhere  small.  Over  time  it  will  just 
build.  
 
We  have  this  insidious  notion  that  everything  goes  in  a  linear  upward fashion. Otherwise it's a 
failure. That's not how it works.  
 
Everything has a certain time before it takes off.  
There's that period where the slight edge is taking hold  
and after that it becomes unstoppable.  
 
www.2000books.com 
So  you  must  not  overestimate what you can do in a year and you must not underestimate what 
you  can  do  in  10  years.  You must keep your hopes high, but at the same time you must do a lot 
of  work  early  on  because  the  first  few  years  are  going  to  be  rough.  They  are  going  to  be  hard 
work. It's going to be challenging.  
 
Start with a penny. It's going to be tough for a while but over time it will take on.  
 

3) A Rocket to the Moon 


 
Any big venture or any big project is like launching a rocket to the moon.  
 
When  the  Apollo  mission  was  launched  and  was on its way to the moon, it was on course only 
2-3%  of  the  time.  Most  of the time it was off-course, zigzagging in making its way towards the 
moon. The Apollo rocket was actually off-course 29 minutes out of 30.  
 
It’s the same way with any endeavor we undertake.  
 
Most of the time we are off-course,  
but we're constantly making small corrections  
and constantly moving towards our target.  
 
In  what  seems  like  a  string  of  failures  in  the  process,  we  actually  find  our  target.  We  may  be 
making  mistakes  but  all  of  these  small  corrections  actually  lead  to  a  giant  success,  to  landing 
your rocket on the moon. 

There is no straight path to success


 
It's just doesn't happen in real life. 

How to course-correct  
 
Be constantly aware of your goal.  
● So  if  you  want  to  employ  the  power  of  the  slight  edge  in  your  big  projects,  constantly 
align yourself and your goals every single day.  
● Visualize them; see your goals in your mind's eye. 
● See your goals as already accomplished.  
● Keep seeing the goal out there, that moon out there. 

www.2000books.com 
● Then  correct  your  course  from  where  you  are  to  where  you  need  to  be,  and  soon  you 
will find yourself on the moon.  
 

4) Always Be in Motion 
 
We  know  it's  very  difficult  to  steer  a car when it’s standing still. But once the car is in motion, it 
becomes  really  easy  to  maneuver.  We  can  move  in  whatever  direction  you  want  with  no 
difficulty.  
 
It's the same with any project or venture you undertake.  
 
If you are constantly moving forward, if you are constantly making progress --  
no matter how small the progress, it's easy to change course as needed.  
 
But if you're stuck, if you don't make the daily effort, if you're not moving forward -- 
● You're not going to be able to make any changes.  
● You're not going to be able to find that way forward.  
● You're not going to be able to maneuver that project.  
● You're not going to be able to make any real progress.  

Have a daily effort 


You  have  to  be  constantly  in  motion.  If  you  are  working  on  your  business,  you  need  to  be 
building  it  on  a  daily  basis.  You  need  to  have  a  daily  effort  on  that  regard  in  order  to  get  it  to 
move and to get it to where you want it to go.  
 
 
 

www.2000books.com 

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