Quantum Leaps vs Compound Effort
I'd like to walk you through a thought experiment.
Pick an area of your life where you feel you've achieved a certain level of success.
And, please! Don’t be a Debbie Downer and say “but I’m not successful.” Everyone has had some success in life! It could be in health, wealth, relationships, or whatever you define as success to you.
Got it. Good.
Now, consider these 2 questions about this aspect of your life.
Was this success due to taking big leaps and risks?
Was this success due to sustained effort and discipline?
Success in life is framed by two opposing perspectives: compounding effort and quantum leaps.
No doubt you have seen the meme about compounding. A 1% improvement each day results in a 37x multiplier over a year. That’s incredible growth! Of course, it assumes you can achieve a 1% improvement daily without fail and without setbacks, but life is full of surprises.
You've probably heard about quantum leaps, from winning the lottery to big decisions like taking a new job, moving to a new country, or asking a girl out.
Quantum leaps require guts and luck. If you win, you might earn extra income or open a door that may never have opened without the courage to ask.
Compounding efforts take discipline and time. Progress feels slow, but after 10 or 20 years, they'll call you an overnight success.
I argue that success requires leaning on both paradigms.
Compounding builds momentum, but most lack the discipline or patience to wait. That's why it's critical to do it! By outlasting them, you'll stand out and get ahead of most.
Taking big bets and calculated risks is important. The most successful people created opportunities that didn't exist using their creativity, intelligence, and determination to make their own luck.
Everyone should put 70-90% of their effort into being consistent on their core activities within their core values. However, it’s also wise to spend 10-30% of the effort experimenting, asking, exploring, and taking risks.
The best successes come from a healthy mix of both, regardless of the ratios you choose.