I have often wondered why some people seem to get ahead in the game of life, while many others only sit on the sidelines and watch life pass them by. What is the defining factor that allows two persons with similar circumstances and opportunities to achieve vastly different results?

As a money coach, I usually search for strategies to help people to accomplish their personal and financial objectives. There is a wealth of information about goal achievement available in books, CDs, training programmes and on the Internet for anyone who wants to learn more about this topic.

Searching for the right formula
I recently read a resource that appeared to hold the answer to one of my basic questions about personal achievement. In his book, The Slight Edge, businessman and author Jeff Olson promised to reveal the one secret component that could help people to achieve success in life.

Olson declared that your ultimate results are not determined by luck or timing, nor by the level of your intelligence, skill or talent. Trying to implement quick-fix formulas to accomplish your goals will not bring you the long-term results you desire either, he insisted.

The secret ingredient of success
The secret to success, Olson revealed, is based on your philosophy of life. When you change the way you think, then you will take the steps you need to accomplish your objectives. Reading ‘how-to’ books won’t help you until you adjust your thought processes to create a philosophy of success.

“Your philosophy is what you know, how you hold it and how it affects what you do,” Olson noted, and it creates your attitudes, actions and results. An example of a life philosophy used by Thomas J Watson, founder of IBM is, “The formula for success is quite simple: double your rate of failure.”

Little things make a big difference
Olson introduced the concept of the Slight Edge, a view of life that is guaranteed to help you to realise your dreams. This philosophy is based on the understanding that “little steps, compounded, do make a difference.” It’s really the simple things that you do every day that will bring success.

The reason why you may not realise how the Slight Edge works is that one little action might not appear to have a long-term effect on your life. If you eat one calorie-laden meal, you won’t get fat tomorrow; if you charge an overpriced handbag on your card, you won’t go bankrupt the next day.

Every step you take counts
Most of us are inclined to look for immediate feedback to see if our efforts are reaping results. The challenge with the Slight Edge outlook is that in the early stages, there is no visible outcome from the little steps that you make. You may think that your work is all in vain, get discouraged and stop.

It’s vital to persist with your positive little actions even if you don’t see any effects. You can become healthy by exercising for just 20 minutes daily; you can build a nest egg by saving a little sum every day. However, many people neglect to do these basic steps because they are also easy not to do.

Procrastinate at your peril
The things that you choose not to do will also create results that will not immediately be obvious. Olson admitted than “not doing [what you need to do] is usually more comfortable that doing it would be.” We often think that we can wait, as there will always be another time to get it done.

When you procrastinate on doing the little things, you are actually retarding the development process of the Slight Edge. One tiny step forgone today and another little one missed tomorrow will delay the steady, rippling effect over time that will ensure your exponential growth in the future.

A double-edged sword
While the Slight Edge philosophy can work tremendously for your good, it can work equally hard to destroy your dreams. Today’s little errors of judgment can develop into tomorrow’s big disasters when compounded by time, so you need to ensure that you always make positive life decisions.

If you’re in your early twenties and spend all your income on entertainment and shopping, you may not see how this pattern might prevent you from ever being able to afford to buy a home or retire. A small change today to increase your savings may allow you to live more expansively in the future.

There is no overnight success
“Success is a process, not a destination,” Olson asserted. “It’s something you experience gradually over time.” Big victories can be won by doing small actions repeatedly. People who attain success did not do so overnight; it is a cumulative result of all the tiny progressions they made in the past.

Your life is changing every day, Olson confirmed, either for the better or for the worse. If you’re not satisfied with your current results, then you need to harness the power of The Slight Edge; take those small, yet significant steps along the pathway towards the success you desire in the future.

Copyright © 2013 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, July 18, 2013

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Cherryl is a money coach and business mentor, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.entrepreneursinjamaica.com and www.financiallysmart.org. Contact Cherryl