Steps to Success: Master the Mundane Tasks Daily

The Slight Edge philosophy is very simple. Use simple strategies, simple actions, and do the same simple things every day.

Success comes from repeating the simple, small, mundane things daily, monthly, and yearly. Every time you repeat a simple action it gradually becomes habit-forming and you get better and better. It is just as easy to do a simple task daily as it is just as easy not to.

One cookie today will not put on any extra pounds, but if you choose to eat one cookie daily on top of the regular food you consume, over time you could gain weight. On the flip side, if you desire to lose weight and you forego the daily cookie, over time you could be successful in achieving your goal.

"The Choice"

Jeff Olson used three stories for examples of daily actions and how they impact a goal. One of the stories he titles: "The Choice."

It is about a wealthy man and two sons. The father is on his death-bed and gifted his boys. One of the gifts was a choice between a million dollars in cash or a penny that would double every day. One son chose the million dollars, the other chose the penny.

Because of leverage and small steps every day the son who chose the penny became the wealthier of the two.

Remember the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare?" It is not always the speed in which you win the race, it is being steady and consistent.

"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) (Taken from Chapter 1 of "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson.

Attitude and Philosophy

To be successful you do need to learn and study the winning how-to-actions, but to really create the success it is your attitude and philosophy that puts everything into place. You can learn all you want, but if you do not apply on a daily basis the simple tasks, you will not succeed.

Outlined in "The Slight Edge" are 7 principles that can be applied right now and used as guide-posts. These 7 steps to success are goals you can achieve every day.

1. Always show up and be on time.

No matter what you are doing, school, work, or volunteering, always show up. You cannot get anything done if you are not present.

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." ---Anne Lamott

2. Practice consistency.

Showing up is very important, but you need to show up consistently. Jeff Olson goes into a couple of stories that illustrate this point very well.

3. Good attitude is a must.

Winston Churchill said:

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

Great advise. Jeff also warns us to beware of the "Cuckoos." It is fun reading about the "Cuckoos" in the world.

4. It is important to commit for a long period of time.

You cannot expect success, fame, or glory over night.

5. Develop faith and a burning desire towards your goal.

Desire is what keeps you going and motivated enough to overcome all obstacles that may come your way.

6. Be willing to pay the price for what you want to achieve.

A phrase that became a part of my life is: "There is a time and place for everything." If you are willing to pay the price up front, then in the end you will benefit.

7. Integrity is a must.

When a person practices integrity, then he/she will continue to do something even when no one is around to watch and observe. A person of integrity is a person worth being around.

Excellent book to read and apply!

The book has many testimonials from people of all walks of life who have lived the practices of "The Slight Edge." It is a book worth reading and is beneficial to all who choose to follow the steps and guidelines outlined and written by Jeff Olson.

New Book Encourages Readers to Live the Dream Life

Tammy Rimes' new book Drink Fine Wine... Ride Fine Horses is no "head in the clouds" self-help book. Tammy manages to be both inspiring and realistic as she encourages people to live the life of their dreams, using her own life and other people's encouraging stories as examples for how to make your dreams come true.

Tammy and her husband had a dream. She wanted to work with horses. He wanted to operate a winery. After years of working, saving, buying a ranch, and operating a small winery and wine-tasting room, they have made their dreams come true. And it wasn't easy. It took a lot of hard work-in fact, I love that Tammy dismisses the idea that if you do what you love, you'll never work another day in your life. You might get to work at what you love, but you will still do hard work. Part of that hard work was Rimes holding down a city job while her husband operated the winery, and then she would come home to work evenings. Part of it was networking in the community, including spending time at day-long outdoor events, covered in smoke and sweat but smiling at everyone who wanted to taste their wine. And part of it was holding on to the vision of that dream even when it looked impossible.

How do you make your own dreams come true? A great way to start is to read Drink Fine Wine... Ride Fine Horses and find out how Tammy and many others did it. She walks readers through the process, from believing in the dream to networking, dealing with adversity, and inspiring others to get excited about your dream. One example she gave that really resonated for me was that long before they had a ranch, she and her husband had decided to name it "Hacienda de las Rosas" or "Big House of the Roses" and she told everyone about the ranch before it was a reality. When people asked her where it was located, she would say, pointing to her head, "Right here... but one day it will be a real place."

Tammy dismisses any thoughts that people can't make their dreams come true. The biggest part of the process is often just believing it is possible. Tammy knows people might say, "Well, that's all well and good to have a Dream Life, but I have to pay the bills and need to take care of my kids." Tammy understands that, saying, "I get that... boy, do I get that. My husband and I have built our winery and horse ranch, but I still had to work another 'day' job to help pay for that dream. My Dream Life of Freedom was and is a work in progress. I had to work my other job for years to help support the achievement of our Dream Life. But having to work now doesn't prevent you from dreaming. Sometimes we have to do the job we have now for the dream of tomorrow."

Tammy doesn't forget that amid all the hard work she has done to make her Dream Life a reality, she has also needed to have fun. This book reflects her rich sense of humor, which I really appreciated. She knows how to inspire coworkers and employees, and she tells funny stories of how she's used humor in the workplace. Best of all, in my opinion, she's a big Lucille Ball fan, to the point that every year her husband and she have an event at the winery where she dresses up like Lucy in the famous I Love Lucy grape-stomping episode and then reenacts it for the crowd.

The book also has moving moments, including a wonderful tale of forgiveness about a coworker whose son was involved in a murder. Tammy realizes that sometimes we have emotional baggage that gets in our way and prevents our dreams. This tale of forgiveness and other examples she includes will truly help you to believe anything is possible from healing the past to creating the future when you commit yourself to pursuing your dream life.

From figuring out your passion and envisioning your dream life to making detours from Plan A to Plan B and even to C or D when necessary, and from learning how to be the leader in your own life to exercises that trigger your thoughts to create the life you want, you'll feel like the good life is not only possible but just waiting for you after you read this book.