Last year, my brother asked me to buy a copy of The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson and read it with him. I agreed, and we soon had a mini book club formed.

I had never heard of The Slight Edge before, but my brother described it as “the self-help book that makes all the other self-help books work,” so I was intrigued.

And boy, was he right.

The Slight Edge is the knowledge that every choice you make can work for you- or against you- no matter how small it may seem at the time.

Example 1

Someone on a low-carb diet (like I should be) is faced with mouth-watering, homemade biscuits. Do they:

• A. Eat one
• B. Eat five
• C. Choose something else (like fruit or dairy)

Choosing A or B wouldn’t hurt you at the time (save for a tummy ache from all the carbs), but if you kept picking A or B, then those choices will build up and work against you in the long run.

Example 2

Say you have a budget for spending money, but it’s almost gone with two weeks left in the month. Do you:

• A: Take money out of a different budget to buy that thing you need
• B: Keep your money where it belongs and wait until next month to go shopping

If you chose A, you run the risk of throwing off your entire budget- and, believe me, that’s not a fun mistake. However, if you choose B, not only will your budget be intact, but you’ll also increase your self-discipline.

It’s the same with every choice we make.

Will one wrong choice hurt you now? No, probably not.
Will several wrong choices hurt you? Yes.

Every choice has a consequence, good or bad, and that’s why we need the self-discipline to make the right choices, patience to see it through, and motivation to create the best versions of ourselves.

Then, we’d be unstoppable!

To learn more, check out this awesome summary from Reading Graphics!