The quote above, which I like to call "Little Efforts" was inspired by one of my favorite books in the self improvement/motivational categories. While reading the The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, I fully understood what he was talking about in the throughout the book.
One thing that I am a firm believer in, is that if you put in the necessary work and I'm not talking about working a 9-5, but if you put in enough work in something you are doing or building (example: starting a business) over a period of time, I believe you will eventually see the success you desire which is the main idea of this quote.
"Little efforts everyday over a long period of time will have a greater effect on your life than large efforts over a short period of time."
Two correlations to this quote that I find very true are building a business and body building. As far as starting a business goes, it is said that on average, it takes about 5 years to build and grow a successful business. While there's many businesses that have had success in less time, what I feel that the statistic means is that the average Joe who decides to go and start a new business with little to no resources is going to find it hard to operate day to day and grow long term.
When purchasing and operating an already popular franchise such as a McDonald's or Wendy's, the infrastructure is practically there already there so the cost that goes into customer and client acquisitions are small if any is need. On the other hand, Joe who starts a new business will have to use the critical first few years in acquiring customers or clients for his business which will be much harder than opening an already popular franchise. Also, depending on the type of business he decides to start, money will have to be spent on marketing, branding and building relationships with suppliers and distributors which can be costly in the first few years being that Joe may not have enough funds available to purchase items in bulk which can be a huge savings factor. But if Joe puts in the necessary work and continues to grow the business over time I small steps, there is a chance that his business can become very successful. Now, while there's many known and unknown factors that can decide if the fate of a business, the average start up company will find this to be true.
When it comes to bodybuilding, most bodybuilders, fitness coaches and even athletes, you would find that these people workout and train just about everyday. When you see them, they are in top shape but if you ask them, they will tell you that it took them sometime to get to the point that they are at. It took literally what the famous quotes says, Blood, Sweat and Tears including long days and nights of constant working out and training.
While looking at the quote, one can say that they have tried something for years and it still did not work out for them. Now while I do feel that it is very important to understand what you are getting yourself into before you start doing or building something, somethings ultimately just do not workout. The main point of the quote and the book is showing that putting forth effort into something long term I small steps can lead to something great, but there is also an underlying knowledge that there is a certain discipline which includes your thinking, habits, choices, and momentum that is also needed to succeed.
All of these things affect the outcome of your success or failure but the one thing that stands firm when you look at every successful business or person is that they stayed focus and continued to push through the ups and downs until they got to the point where they currently are.
What are some of the things you have been working on over a long period of time and have you start seeing results? Please feel free to leave your comments below!
Check out the origin of this inspired quote The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
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