The Slight Edge

Product Information

Instant Life” If you were offered the same choice the wealthy man gave his sons, would you choose the million dollars or the penny? Most people would make the second boy’s choice: the right-now money—the quantum leap. After all, a million dollars! In cash! Right now! And, of course, you’d be making the wrong choice—and you would have been fooled, as millions of people around the globe are fooled every minute of every hour of every day, by those two seductive little words: Right now! I remember one day seeing a man standing in front of a microwave, fidgeting impatiently as he peered through the window at his lunch being cooked, and muttering, “Come onnnn ... come onnnn ... !” It blew my mind. Sixty seconds wasn’t fast enough?! It’s become a truism to say we live in a push-button, instant-access, fastfood kind of world where we want everything yesterday. This doesn’t mean we have more impatient temperaments than our parents did. It represents an entirely different way of thinking. An entirely different philosophy. Introduction 3 unhappy. And I’m not criticizing popular novels. But it was clear that this woman was struggling, and as we sat there talking, I’d have bet anything that she wanted more out of life. It was clear that she wanted to give her daughter the uniform and the Dallas trip, things she couldn’t afford in the life she was living. And it was clear that it was so much on her mind, she’d confided her worries to a complete stranger within five minutes of meeting him. She wanted more, it was plain to see. Why didn’t she have it? She’s industrious, motivated and smart. She reads. She listens. She’s sharp. Where would she be today if she’d set foot on a different path a year ago? Five years ago? You can bet she wouldn’t be shining my shoes. Managing a chain of shoeshine stands is more like it. Would she be having any trouble sending her daughter to Dallas? I bet she’d be sponsoring the entire team—and going with them, too! While this woman with the wonderful personality continued shining my shoes, I was watching her in my mind’s eye, seeing her on a plane to Texas surrounded by giggling, excited, happy teenagers, seeing her being successful in so many different ways, in so many areas, making such a difference in her own life and the lives of so many others, if only ... what? What was missing? Feelings welled up in me, a mix of frustration and sadness. I felt for a moment as if I were going to cry, and I wondered, Why are you so moved by all of this? You’ve seen this before a hundred times—why are you so affected by this one instance? One reason, I knew, was that it reminded me of another character I’d observed before—nice, like the shoeshine woman, a good person ... just not succeeding in life. It’s the Little Things That Matter As an actress living in New York, it is so easy to get overwhelmed by everything that comes with this competitive business. The Slight Edge helped me to understand that the small choices I make every moment of every day make a huge impact on my life. Living in a society with so much emphasis on success, I found that The Slight Edge redefined what success is for me. It helps me to take the next step forward in my everyday life and do the next right thing. I know those steps will ultimately lead to a very successful and fulfilling life. To get started, simply start by doing one daily discipline in each of these 5 areas. Review these factors daily, model successful people, and spend quality time with people who have achieved similar goals and dreams.

If Only … “You’re lookin’ good, sir, lookin’ good.” The shoeshine woman was grinning at me. Another customer lost in his early morning thoughts. And another job well done. I looked down: I could see my reflection in my shoes. Indeed I am. Lookin’ good … thank you. Thanks very much. I paid her, gave her as big a tip as I could without (I hoped) having her feel I was being patronizing, and walked away with clean shoes and a heavy heart. She was right; for me, things were lookin’ good, sir, lookin’ good. But why the beach bum and not the shoeshine woman?

Is Time on Your Side? 53 have heart. Once you are aware of and understand how to use the Slight Edge, you will naturally have both—purpose and the strength of heart to stay on that purpose. The law of nature is, Do the thing, and you shall have the power: but they who do not the thing have not the power. —Ralph Waldo Emerson, Compensation (Essays: First Series, 1841) The Superachiever That semester, for the first time in my life, I got straight A’s. I went on to business school and graduated at the very top of my class. Fresh out of college, I Not for everyone of course. There are those for whom life somehow just seems to work. But they sure aren’t in the majority: probably about 1/20, or 5%.

You’ve probably heard the story of compound interest before. In fact many times. What is the big deal about it all? Nothing… Unless you act on it.A positive philosophy turns into a positive attitude, which turns into positive actions, which turn into positive results, which turn into a positive lifestyle. A negative philosophy turns into a negative attitude, which turns into negative actions, which turn into negative results, which turn into a negative lifestyle.

Our philosophies shape our attitudes, actions and results, which in turn shape our lives. The Slight Edge is a philosophy; it represents a way of thinking: what we know, how we hold that knowledge, and what we do.

Customer Reviews

Olsen shares many relatable stories and examples to help us understand the concepts in the book, including his own story – how he went from a beach bum to owning the 5th largest solar-air energy company in America, to losing everything and rebuilding from scratch again. Throughout the book, there are also numerous notes from people who shared how they have applied the Slight Edge in their lives. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson is a book that is a must read for not only people looking to improve their lives, but for people who need motivation and support. The Slight Edge is by far one of the best self-improvement books that I have ever read. The concepts about success and improvement are so simple, yet I needed to read them in a book to understand them. This book has given me a foundation for a success philosophy that will bring all my dreams of success into reality.

But it does. Greatness is always in the moment of the decision. And so is fate. The wisdom to recognize the slight edge, shows up in the mundane little choices we make every day. Not in some big dramatic moment with the orchestra swelling in crescendo behind us and those private unseen everyday moments are what determine the path your life will take. The 5% don’t want success more than the others. They don’t wish, pray or envision for it more. The difference is the slight edge. The Slight Edge makes you aware of the unwritten rules that we all live by and just weren’t aware of. Jeff explains these principles in an easy-to-understand manner that will have you re-evaluating those ‘insignificant’ decisions you make every day.” —John C. Maxwell, Founder of The John Maxwell Company and best-selling author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of LeadershipMomentum: there is an optimal speed of growth. Don’t develop too far, as you’ll come crashing down. And don’t go too slow either. For the slight edge to work, you have to do something, and keep doing it until you succeed. You need to follow the Plant-Cultivate-Harvest cycle . However, many people either expect something from nothing, or they want to go directly from plant to harvest. The Slight Edge Philosophy 31 you to a healthy life. No matter what you learn, no matter how many books you read, CDs you listen to, or seminars you attend, if you don’t absorb this philosophy of simple steps and their compounded effect over time, you won’t successfully apply those things you learn to create the results you want. The Slight Edge will help you apply all the information you learn from the health book, the sales book, the investment book, the positive attitude book. The Slight Edge is the book you need to read, highlight and reread along with your fitness class, your career planning, your continuing education and pursuit of new skills. The Slight Edge will prepare you to be able to absorb all that other information, guidance and education from all those other books, classes, situations and experiences. Whatever your deepest desires are in life, I want you to have them, and I know you can. That is my passionate belief—and I’ve seen it happen too many times to doubt it. But you need a place to start. The Slight Edge is that starting point. It’s the first ingredient. If you know when to trust the process and keep churning the cream. It was a lesson about the slight edge and how it can transform your life. It is the same choice we’re offered in every moment of our lives. She explains that the more success you have, the more success you will have, and that there is a price to pay for that: responsibility.