Exponential Potential
A few years ago, a friend introduced me to personality tests. Since then, I have taken several personality tests. I always find it interesting that my results are seemingly the same every time I take a personality test. I’m usually balanced. I'm the unicorn of personality types. A few tests have even called me “extremely rare,” and one said that only “4% of the population” share my results. If I had started taking some of these tests earlier, I wonder how my results would have changed over the years. I’d like to be able to say that I’m just naturally a balanced personality. Actually, I'd have a hard time believing anyone is born balanced. I might be predisposed to be pretty level to a certain extent, but mostly, I’ve learned a lot.
Fortunately, I am not a passive learner. Everything I learn, I try to put into practice. I’ve learned to make time for myself, nurture relationships, get enough sleep, and know when I need a good workout. I have invested a lot of time and energy into making sure that everything important to me has a place in my life. I believe that is the goal for most of us. It often feels, though, as if there’s not enough time in the day or week or month to ensure that every part of our being is nurtured. For such a long time, I struggled with this. I am still working on it. But, I read in a book once about a theory that I think about every day. It’s called the “butterfly effect.” This theory states that small changes can have enormous consequences. The example, and reason for the name, is that “the flap of a butterfly's wings might ultimately cause a tornado.” In the book “Atomic Habits,” it is referred to as the 1% rule. Here’s how it applies to you. If you strive to be just 1% better today than you were yesterday, this week, then you were last week, this month than you were last month, this year than you were last year, then your growth over a prolonged period becomes exponential. Not only your growth but your potential!
Looking back, it's that 1% that has made me who I am today. My first intentional 1% step was incorporating fitness into my daily routine. The next one percent was being more mindful of what I eat. Don’t get me wrong I don’t workout every day, and sometimes I don’t eat that well, but even on a bad day, my habits are so much better than they used to be, and in general, my routine stays pretty balanced. In the weeks and months that my 1% stays consistent, I see a positive shift in almost every avenue of my life. When my 1% isn’t consistent, I see that too. So I challenge you to find your 1%? What is one habit that you can add to your routine today that would positively impact your future? 1%... such a small number, right? And yet with a seemingly insignificant change, you can completely change the trajectory of your life!