Outwork Book Club on “The Slight Edge”

Jeff Olson will show you how small, tiny gains compound into big, significant results

The Outwork Book Club is a book review series that provides the main idea, summary, top quotes, and how to take action.

I like to think of The Slight Edge as my introduction to the concept that I call character building, my take on willpower, and more importantly, how to strengthen it. The Slight Edge is just that, a tiny little advantage over yourself and others, but slowly it builds until it’s undeniable.

“The truth is, what you do matters. What you do today matters. What you do every day matters. Successful people just do the things that seem to make no difference in the act of doing them and they do them over and over and over until the compound effect kicks in.” — Jeff Olson

Main Idea

The Slight Edge is one of those books where you read a passage and instantly recall events in your life that prove the words to be true. That’s what makes it a life-altering book, its immediate impact on the action you are taking.

For example, I am personally really good at collecting information. I can gather books, pour over the site after site, and even join forums and subscribe to newsletters about a topic that I find interesting. What I am not so great at is following through on what I read and learn, essentially deeming all of that knowledge useless. This makes the act of reading almost as valuable as doing nothing at all.

The key to success is action. The Slight Edge is all about taking action, however little or insignificant it may seem at the time. Its power lies in progressive overload, long-term gain, or the more popular term known as compound interest. Small actions add up over time and lead to big, noticeable changes.

“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” — Jeff Olson

Summary

The Slight Edge is the hidden key to solving almost any problem. Diets work, business plans work, and how-to books work, the issue is that no one ever does anything that is instructed. So the diet, plan, goal, etc. fails and there are usually numerous theories as to what happened. Statements like, “diets don’t work” are the usual fail-safe for those that lack the discipline to succeed.

When this issue comes up, you may not need to change your approach entirely, you may need to simply change the way you are thinking about success. In this way, The Slight Edge is your philosophy. It is changing the way you think about simple everyday things. It is focused on the action— the what to do right now.

Your philosophy creates your attitudes, which drive your actions, that get you the result.

You most likely already know how to be successful. All you have to do is to keep doing the things that have worked so far. This makes me think of the many times I have been successful in the past, only to eventually lose whatever I gained. I figured it was just the natural progression of things but I never realized it was because I stopped doing the thing that made me successful at the get-go.

We have complete control over the direction of our lives. We just need to stick to it and keep up with the little things so that they can keep compounding.

If we change the way we look at failure, total failure will never be an option. Successful people fail their way to the top (think Michael Jordan, Abe Lincoln, and Thomas Edison).

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (attrib.)

A Triumph of the Mundane

It is important to make the choice to be successful — a deliberate decision to commit to the slight edge philosophy. The reason is that the slight edge relentlessly works both ways: success or failure.

• Simple daily disciplines or simple errors in judgment, repeated over time, make or break you. They always add up, regardless of the end result.
• It’s never too late to start, but it’s always too late to wait. You can start anywhere and still accomplish anything you want.
• Only 5 percent of all people achieve the success they hope for. They are masters of the mundane, the simple daily disciplines that add up over time.

The other 95 percent of the people that fail don’t do the simple things that add up to success for three simple reasons:

1. They are easy to do but they are also easy not to do.
2. They don’t see any results at first.
3. These simple things seem insignificant like they don’t matter or won’t have any effect.

Things that create success in the long term don’t look like they have any impact at all in the short run.

The simple-looking things matter much more than we could ever imagine.

The hardest things take a little time. The impossible takes a little longer, except most people give up before the goal is realized. 95% of people fail and settle for mediocrity. Five percent of people keep working, every day until they become the top 5%.

The 95 percenters often look at the successful people of the world and wish they had the same kind of “instant success,” but they fail to see the small, mundane tasks they do every day. Don’t fall for this type of quantum leap mentality.

Two Life Paths

People on the success curve are pulled by the future. People on the failure curve are pulled by the past. They think, “if only things had been different,” or “when this happens, I will be happy.”

Every day you have a choice and regardless of where you are, you can choose to reenter the success curve.

How you spend the next hour can be how you spend the next 40 years.

How to Take Action

Think compounded effort, not monumental moments. Time is the force that magnifies those simple daily disciplines into a massive success. Use time as a tool for success, not an enemy to avoid or plotted against.

Use Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is the slight edge’s perfect partner. It would be counterproductive to practice daily discipline if this practice was not a positive experience. It would also be impossible to sustain. The practice of positive thinking is the science of happiness. Greater happiness is the key to making the slight edge work in your life. Happiness and success are fine compliments.

If you want to be happy, all you have to do is apply the principles of the slight edge. Do simple easy things every day that promote happiness:

1. Thank someone for their impact on your life.
2. Write down three things that you are grateful for.
3. Cold email a friend and thank them for something they did in the past that made an impact on your life.
4. Meditate, self-reflect, and think deeply.

Start with a Choice

Great success starts from somewhere. Great fortunes start with a penny that has built up over time. If you add 1% of anything — skill, money, knowledge, effort — per day, in a year it has more than tripled. But you have to start with that 1%, which is so small, so insignificant, that it is also easy not to start.

“It starts with a choice and greatness is always in the moment of decision.” — Jeff Olson

Life is in constant motion. Everything is always in motion. Your life is either curving upward or curving downward. Remember, the slight edge works both ways.

Greatness is not a destiny or fate or luck. Greatness is always in the moment of the decision. Choose to start and choose to be great.

Master the Daily Details

Mastery begins the moment you step onto the path and it begins with daily habits and tiny actions. On the path of mastery you have four allies:

1. There is a power in momentum: steady wins the race. Start small, commit to the long-term, use positive thinking, and never waiver.
2. There is power in completion: getting stuff done empowers your resolve.
3. There is a power in reflection: constantly asking yourself, “Did I continue my momentum on the success curve?”
4. There is a power in celebration: catch yourself doing something right and recognize yourself becoming more successful.

You can apply the slight edge philosophy to anything in your life: finances, health, business, self-development, relationships, skill acquisition, and education.

You can become better at any and all aspects of your life.

This is one of the most impactful books I have ever read. If you have not done so yet, you purchase the book here. This story contains affiliate links which means I get a portion of what you pay at no extra cost to you. If you are new to Medium, you can join using my referral link below. For just $5, you’ll get full access to all of my stories, book recommendations, and publication on living a high-performance lifestyle.

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