7 Words That Changed My Perspective on Life

One of my goals this year was to read one book. Yes, just one! Not to be dramatic, but this one book changed my life. The book was The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. In summary, he explains how our life is never stagnant, but always either in the upward or downward motion based on every decision, every day. He really drives home the theory that you are in charge of your life and that even the smallest things can have a profound impact on your life over time. With that said, there was one statement inspired by Jim Rohn that really stuck out to me in the book:

Easy to do, easy not to do.

Life is full of constant decisions and demands. Most of these things fall into the category of easy to do and easy not to do. 

• It’s easy to set your dirty plate in the sink and walk away. It’s also easy to wash it or immediately put it in the dishwasher. 

• It’s easy to read 10 pages of a book every day. It’s also easy to binge 3 episodes of Nobody Wants This back to back. 

• It’s easy to order Uber Eats for dinner. It’s also easy to cook spaghetti with that ground beef that’s about to go bad. 

• It's easy to call or text your loved one and let them know you were thinking of them. It's also easy to just move on with your day.

• It’s easy to keep that new sweater you only kinda like. It’s also easy to drive it back to the store, return it and get your $45 back.

• It’s easy to let the trash pile over and deal with it tomorrow. It’s also easy to take it to the outside trash bin right now. 

• It’s easy to walk 1 lap around your block each day, but it’s also easy to scroll on your phone for 30 minutes instead. 

You get the idea! These are all real life examples of things that I personally have struggled and continue to struggle with.

Hearing some of the examples as listed in the book really put things into perspective for me. It’s such a simple concept, but when explained in this matter, it made me feel more accountable—in a good way! Honestly, it was kind of a relief to hear that I had more control of my life than I believed to be true. Life can be hard, but sometimes, we can make it harder than it needs to be. If we are always taking the easy way out at every opportunity, things tend to get harder for us in the long term.

Leaving 1 single dish in the sink 30x leads to a mountain of dishes and having to spend dedicated time to address it. It also makes the task more difficult because overtime, the food and grease buildup make it harder to clean. On the other hand, we could’ve maintained a clean sink by immediately washing the dish or putting it in the dishwasher right away. Getting carry-out every time we’re not in the mood to make dinner leads to food waste and potentially hundreds of extra dollars spent on food and corresponding convenience and delivery fees each month, which comes out to thousands a year. Putting off any form of physical activity each day can eventually lead to various health issues later in life.

All of this to say, the goal is never perfection. We are human and each day comes with its own challenges—some days, we truly need to take the L and start fresh tomorrow. The goal here is to create an awareness of these small opportunities that we come across in our day-to-day lives. When you start acknowledging and addressing them in real time, it creates a ripple effect of micro-improvements that will create significant impacts in your life. Over time, your home becomes easier to maintain, your health improves, your relationships become stronger, and so on.

The Slight Edge is full of these little nuggets of information and real life examples that help you to see things through a different viewpoint. This was really the first self-help book that I took a liking to, and it truly did change me forever. Olson dives into some of the most simple concepts that can inspire real change in your life. If you are looking for a book to add to your list, I would highly recommend this one!