Make no mistake: if you're looking for easy answers and gimmick formulas - take an immediate pass on this book. The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy offers no quick micro-instant results. But then, real results do take time.
Proven Method for Success
What Hardy offers readers is a proven method for success in ANY aspect of life, career and personal growth. Yes, there are steps clearly defined. Yes, there are lots and lots of personal stories and examples. More importantly though is the insistence that reading by itself will not achieve any of the desired results. And it's how to take that first step, or first few steps, that lead to the compound effect of change, which is success.
There's an old saying: doing the same thing over and over again and somehow expecting different results is the definition of insanity. While Hardy does not say this, his philosophy certainly invokes this thought procedure. And he certainly explains the HOW of getting to better and permanent results, while breaking the cycle.
Easy Steps to Follow, With Charts and Forms to Make it Easier
As befits all self-help books, you can feel the enthusiasm and encouragement flying off the pages. Hardy is passionate about his work and his desire to help others help themselves. Each chapter has a summary of the pertinent points; there are charts to be filled out and the website to download the necessary forms is also provided.
In essence, the book tells readers how taking one small step or change towards a goal now will increase due to the compound effect, resulting in permanent results for the better. It's about how to take control of your own goals and how to achieve those goals, especially in career and lifestyle.
One example shows three friends, each needing more physical activity. One decides to cut out 125 calories a day and go for a 10-20 min walk - something easily accomplished with little/no sacrifice; another decides to add in a drink a week and watch more TV as is due for leisure time and working hard; another does nothing. In a few months, there are no real results. As time goes by though, the person who added in the extra drink and sitting has gained weight and lost family time; the one who took away a mere 125 calories a day (for example, used mustard instead of mayo) has not only lost weight but is in better physical shape by that walking, which led to other physical activities; and the one who did nothing is the same, but more bitter as nothing changed. The results compounded - one positive, two negative. Even doing nothing will compound into unhappiness, especially if you expect change by changing nothing.
Most of the examples do pertain to career and life coaching, but the above one seems to reach most readers in understanding the concept better.
The Need for Action to Achieve Goals
Hardy emphasizes the need for action. Plain and simple. Just that too many are afraid to take that first step, or afraid the change will be too great. That's the beauty of this book - how to change, how to get started on the action, how to achieve the magical change of compound effects is all set out, with forms, checklists, easy steps, and lots of ways to avoid the negative thoughts and excuses most people put in to block their own way.
There's only one missing ingredient - you!
Book courtesy of FSB Associates.
References:
Hardy, Darren. The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success. New York, NY USA: Vanguard Press, 2010
ISBN:978-1-59315-713-5
Paym Bergson - Paym Bergson - freelance entrepreneur & career coach with extensive experience working in the educational/professional development ...
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