The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success

On the path to success, people usually encounter “moments of truth” that test their mettle (140). Distance runner Des Linden fought terrible weather and cramps during the Boston Marathon but focused simply on trying to catch the race leader and became the first American in more than 30 years to win the women’s division in the event. She found a way to be better than herself.

Reaching one’s training limit and then going a bit beyond it can produce remarkable value, so that “the little extra multiplies your results many times over” (147). Examples include Arnold Schwarzenegger’s weightlifting “Cheating Principle,” where he completed a maximum number of reps, then shifted his body slightly, which called on other muscles to contribute, and did a few more reps. This greatly increased his strength. Oprah Winfrey is famous for exceeding expectations: In one case, her audience consisted of people who really needed a car, so she gave cars to 11 members, then distributed gift boxes to the rest of the audience, who discovered that everyone received a car.

Hardy proposed to his wife by first asking her father’s permission. He memorized his speech in Portuguese, her father’s native tongue. He also asked for the approval of all her siblings. By going the extra distance, his proposal produced good results “exponentially.”

The expected is average, Hardy says. Instead, Hardy creates a “WOW” effect by doing the unexpected. Where people send Christmas cards, he sends Thanksgiving cards. Another approach is to exceed expectations by, for example, dressing slightly better than an occasion calls for, paying bills to vendors a few days earlier than expected, or paying bonuses with a handwritten thank-you note. These take very little extra effort but deliver powerful results.