The Slight Edge
I recently listened to the audio version of the book “The Slight Edge” written by Jeff Olsen. In the book he talks about why so many people are unsuccessful in life, and how successful people get to where they are, and it’s no gimmick, it’s not a “get rich quick” book, he basically just tells it how it is!
When you think about the world today, there is more information about things then there has ever been. There is greater access to information with greater technology to get that information to people then there has ever been; it’s so easy to access information! However, if information and technology was the answer, well there would be no problems would there? If it was as simple as just looking up the answer to the question you have online, then most of life’s problems would be taken care of, because you can pretty much guarantee there WILL be the information you are looking for online.
Obesity and other lifestyle diseases are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society, especially in this country. Google has pretty much any answer you can possibly have about health, weight loss, exercise etc. New trainers and gyms are popping up everywhere all the time. There are more and more resources available to people to help with weight loss and yet as a country we are still getting bigger, why? Jeff suggests that having information and technology simply isn’t enough, if you don’t know how to process that information and use it to get results. He says you have to change people’s environment and association.
The book doesn’t just simply talk about being successful in terms of health and fitness, but obviously that resonates with me the most in my profession. In my time as a trainer (not that I wasn’t already aware), I’ve noticed one really common theme, which is people want the “quick fix” to problems, they want to get things done or get results in the shortest time possible, with the least amount of effort. This results’ in people taking weight loss pills and trying FAD diets that just aren’t sustainable, then after losing lots of weight, just to put it all back on again, wonder where they went wrong.
The major point in the book that Jeff mentions repeatedly throughout is “You have to do the easy little things consistently over a long enough period of time to make it work for you”. Notice that word EASY? He didn’t mention you have to do really difficult things for the remainder of your life, you just have to do the easy things consistently and for long enough to see results. In the book he mentions a quote which says “everything you need to become successful is easy to do, but it is also easy NOT to do”. If it’s easy to become successful why aren’t more people successful? Because it’s easy not to be successful. I can’t believe how simple but true that really is. Most things that are easy enough to do, like eat well and be active, are just as easy not to do.
People make the mistake in not doing the simple little thing at that moment in time because it seems insignificant. Like eating that ice-cream after dinner, it’s only one night right it won’t hurt? You aren’t going to wake up fatter tomorrow because of that one ice-cream right? Switch it around, instead of the ice-cream you eat a nice piece of fruit, you aren’t going to become healthier then and there after one piece of fruit are you? But that one wrong decision you make in that moment is going to be the reason you put on weight, because it’s going to compound with other small errors in judgement over time. Now I’m not saying people can’t enjoy the foods they love every now and then and in moderation, but for a lot of people, they are making the one tiny little wrong decision over and over again.
Every single decision you make DOES matter. Making the decision to put your seat belt on is a small decision no-one really thinks about, most of us just do it, yet it saves thousands of lives every day. Most of society I would imagine shower and brush their teeth daily, it’s part of a routine, you don’t think about it you just do it. People wear make-up and nice clothes to make their appearance better, people go to the doctor’s when they are sick and take whatever medication is prescribed. These are all little decisions made daily that wouldn’t even really be given much thought because they are benefitting people in some way. So why doesn’t the majority of public just as easily think about what they are putting in their mouths, and what they are doing, or not doing, to be active?
It matters what you eat, it matters if you exercise or not. How can you be successful without your health? If you can’t enjoy life feeling good, looking good, and being able to do anything you want at any time then how can you truly be successful?
This next part Jeff talks about I really felt I could relate to personally and I will share my experience after I explain.
Jeff say’s basically the key to any success is this formula: Positive philosophies create a positive attitude. Having a positive attitude results in positive actions. Finally, doing positive actions ends with positive results. Philosophies are your way of thinking, your values and beliefs combined with knowledge. Having good knowledge and good values will create a positive attitude. Wrong information turns into a bad attitude which results in bad actions and poor results. When you start anything you are at your lowest point of knowledge and your highest point of anxiety. As you knowledge goes up anxiety goes down. The more you know what you are doing the more confident you will be.
The Slight Edge breaks knowledge up into a 4 part process. 1. Learn Knowledge: This is simply as the name suggests, you read books, you study and you learn. It is the theory part of your knowledge, this is school and university. 2. Activity Knowledge: “Do the thing and you will have the power”. Learning how to do the activity. People skip activity knowledge due to fear of failure. You can’t just study and learn knowledge and never put it into practice, and you can’t just keep doing an activity without learning how to do it properly. You have to first learn how to do the activity then do it. The first two go hand-in-hand. 3. Modelling Knowledge: You have to seek out successful positive people. Base your positive actions on what you obtain from them. Successful people are successful for a reason; find out what they have done. “You are the combined product of the 5 people you associate the most with”. Having a positive or negative circle of influence can greatly affect you as a person. It’s difficult to be positive and achieve things if people don’t support you. 4. Teach Knowledge: People go from learn knowledge straight to teach knowledge, people don’t want to do the activity themselves. How can you possibly expect people to listen to you and learn from you if you have no experiences, if you haven’t taken actions and experienced activity knowledge? Teach Knowledge is being a leader, inspiring people, getting people to do something they wouldn’t have done if you hadn’t been there.
Now I feel like I went through that exact process of knowledge when I became a personal trainer. I learned knowledge from my AIF course. Now had I of gone straight from the course into the industry trying to train people I think I would have been a terrible trainer and failed miserably. What I did was the mentor program at Vision, learning how to become a good trainer, all the while experiencing what it was like on the other end, getting trained personally by the manager. So I obtained activity knowledge from both the trainer and client perspective. With modelling knowledge I have met and spoken with some pretty successful people and taken bits and pieces from them, and I also myself have had business coaches who worked with me to improve my business and just life as a whole really. Finally obviously teach knowledge I experience every day as a trainer, trying to motivate people in sessions, correcting technique, teaching new exercises, informing clients on better food choices etc. I’d like to think that there are definitely members of my Team Transform that can say they have made positive changes in their lives and achieved some great results in health and fitness thanks to my guidance and support.
Adding on to daily disciplines, making good decisions, having good philosophies and obtaining good knowledge, Jeff says that people who end up successful take responsibility for their actions. When you blame others you give up control. Unsuccessful people blame everyone else for their mistakes. Successful people do what unsuccessful people aren’t willing to do. Everyone has 24 hours in a day. Obviously some people might be busier than others but how do some extremely busy people still manage to get in exercise and healthy eating? Making smarter decisions, time management, being consistent, and being prepared, these are all things that aid in being successful. Saying “I don’t have the time” isn’t going to create time. Wake up 30mins earlier. Prepare meals on 1-2 days of the week so the rest of the week you don’t have to worry about it. People think the answer to being consistent is “will power”. TIME is the answer. Time will either promote you or expose you. When you enter a darkened room you reach for the light switch. Why? Because you know what will happen, you don’t think about it, you just do it. If you KNOW that in TIME results will happen if you are consistent over time, then results will come. Someone who walks 30mins in a day, it’s easy to do; it’s also easy not to do. Over time, that walk compounded will make you healthier; not walking every day will make you unhealthier. Blaming the kids, job, weather, time for not going for a walk isn’t going to bring success. Take responsibility for WHY you aren’t doing the things you need to achieve results, and then make the necessary change.
Finally, people want fast results. If people don’t see immediate results then more often than not they quit, “it doesn’t work what’s the point”. Let me ask you this question though, “how far does quitting get you?” Will that get you closer to your goal or further away from it? It’s EASIER to stop, then to keep trying, so people stop. If you could do something small and easy as walk for 5-10 mins a day, and then double that every week, how far would you be walking in 6 months’ time? Remember, simple little things compounded are what achieve results and bring success!
In summary: Be consistent, manage time better, obtain as much knowledge as you can, know what to do with that knowledge and take action, surround yourself with positive people, be patient, and don’t be afraid to fail.
Jeff mentions a quote in the book which I will leave you with.
“Do or Not Do, there is no try” – Yoda, Star Wars.
