An exponential is a multiplication of a multiplication.
If you multiply a quantity for another quantity that is less than one, you decrease the outcome.
Conversely, if you multiply for a quantity greater than one, you increase the outcome.
How can you use this to improve your outcome?
What if you could increase your skills by just 1% every day? One-hundredth of improvement every day. What would you get in one year, that is, after 365 days?
You should add 1% to your daily measurement. So, if your current performance is 1, you would get 1 + 1/100 that is 1.01. On the second day, you would have 1.01 + 1% of 1.01, which would be 1.02, and so on.
What if you repeat this process every day for one year? I did the math for you:
- 1.00
- 1.01
- 1.02
- 1.03
- 1.04
- 1.05
- 1.06
- 1.07
- 1.08
- 1.09
- 1.10
- 1.12
- 1.13
- 1.14
- 1.15
- 1.16
- 1.17
- 1.18
- 1.20
- 1.21
- 1.22
- 1.23
- 1.24
- 1.26
- 1.27
- 1.28
- 1.30
- 1.31
- 1.32
- 1.33
- 1.35
- 1.36
- 1.37
- 1.39
- 1.40
- 1.42
- 1.43
- 1.45
- 1.46
- 1.47
- 1.49
- 1.50
- 1.52
- 1.53
- 1.55
- 1.56
- 1.58
- 1.60
- 1.61
- 1.63
- 1.64
- 1.66
- 1.68
- 1.69
- 1.71
- 1.73
- 1.75
- 1.76
- 1.78
- 1.80
- 1.82
- 1.83
- 1.85
- 1.87
- 1.89
- 1.91
- 1.93
- 1.95
- 1.97
- 1.99
- 2.01
- 2.03
- 2.05
- 2.07
- 2.09
- 2.11
- 2.13
- 2.15
- 2.17
- 2.19
- 2.22
- 2.24
- 2.26
- 2.28
- 2.31
- 2.33
- 2.35
- 2.38
- 2.40
- 2.42
- 2.45
- 2.47
- 2.50
- 2.52
- 2.55
- 2.57
- 2.60
- 2.63
- 2.65
- 2.68
- 2.70
- 2.73
- 2.76
- 2.79
- 2.81
- 2.84
- 2.87
- 2.90
- 2.93
- 2.96
- 2.99
- 3.02
- 3.05
- 3.08
- 3.11
- 3.14
- 3.17
- 3.20
- 3.24
- 3.27
- 3.30
- 3.33
- 3.37
- 3.40
- 3.43
- 3.47
- 3.50
- 3.54
- 3.57
- 3.61
- 3.65
- 3.68
- 3.72
- 3.76
- 3.79
- 3.83
- 3.87
- 3.91
- 3.95
- 3.99
- 4.03
- 4.07
- 4.11
- 4.15
- 4.19
- 4.23
- 4.27
- 4.32
- 4.36
- 4.40
- 4.45
- 4.49
- 4.54
- 4.58
- 4.63
- 4.68
- 4.72
- 4.77
- 4.82
- 4.87
- 4.91
- 4.96
- 5.01
- 5.06
- 5.11
- 5.16
- 5.22
- 5.27
- 5.32
- 5.37
- 5.43
- 5.48
- 5.54
- 5.59
- 5.65
- 5.70
- 5.76
- 5.82
- 5.88
- 5.94
- 6.00
- 6.06
- 6.12
- 6.18
- 6.24
- 6.30
- 6.36
- 6.43
- 6.49
- 6.56
- 6.62
- 6.69
- 6.76
- 6.82
- 6.89
- 6.96
- 7.03
- 7.10
- 7.17
- 7.24
- 7.32
- 7.39
- 7.46
- 7.54
- 7.61
- 7.69
- 7.77
- 7.84
- 7.92
- 8.00
- 8.08
- 8.16
- 8.24
- 8.33
- 8.41
- 8.49
- 8.58
- 8.66
- 8.75
- 8.84
- 8.93
- 9.02
- 9.11
- 9.20
- 9.29
- 9.38
- 9.48
- 9.57
- 9.67
- 9.76
- 9.86
- 9.96
- 10.06
- 10.16
- 10.26
- 10.36
- 10.47
- 10.57
- 10.68
- 10.78
- 10.89
- 11.00
- 11.11
- 11.22
- 11.33
- 11.45
- 11.56
- 11.68
- 11.80
- 11.91
- 12.03
- 12.15
- 12.27
- 12.40
- 12.52
- 12.65
- 12.77
- 12.90
- 13.03
- 13.16
- 13.29
- 13.42
- 13.56
- 13.69
- 13.83
- 13.97
- 14.11
- 14.25
- 14.39
- 14.54
- 14.68
- 14.83
- 14.98
- 15.13
- 15.28
- 15.43
- 15.58
- 15.74
- 15.90
- 16.06
- 16.22
- 16.38
- 16.54
- 16.71
- 16.88
- 17.04
- 17.22
- 17.39
- 17.56
- 17.74
- 17.91
- 18.09
- 18.27
- 18.46
- 18.64
- 18.83
- 19.02
- 19.21
- 19.40
- 19.59
- 19.79
- 19.99
- 20.19
- 20.39
- 20.59
- 20.80
- 21.01
- 21.22
- 21.43
- 21.64
- 21.86
- 22.08
- 22.30
- 22.52
- 22.75
- 22.97
- 23.20
- 23.44
- 23.67
- 23.91
- 24.15
- 24.39
- 24.63
- 24.88
- 25.13
- 25.38
- 25.63
- 25.89
- 26.15
- 26.41
- 26.67
- 26.94
- 27.21
- 27.48
- 27.75
- 28.03
- 28.31
- 28.60
- 28.88
- 29.17
- 29.46
- 29.76
- 30.05
- 30.36
- 30.66
- 30.97
- 31.27
- 31.59
- 31.90
- 32.22
- 32.54
- 32.87
- 33.20
- 33.53
- 33.87
- 34.20
- 34.55
- 34.89
- 35.24
- 35.59
- 35.95
- 36.31
- 36.67
- 37.04
- 37.41
On the 365th day, the last of your year of practice, you would have increased your skill by more than 37 times. Thirty-seven times what you had on day 1.
That was just a thought experiment, a game if you want—an extreme simplification to give you the sense of what an exponential could do in your life.
Systems, not goals
Change your behavior, not your goal. If you can aim at acting so that, anytime you can, you can have a positive compounding multiplier in anything you do, and you have the first block of this betterment machine.
The second block of this abundance creation machine is consistency. You have to do it always as in every day.
The Multiplication Compounding Machine Effect (TM) has the power of an avalanche, but for your good.
The only downside is the need to develop patience. It’s only after having compounded several (as in hundreds) iterations that you will remain astonished by the results.
Examples? Sure thing.
Elemental Compounding Steps (TM):
- Writing at least for 30 minutes every day.
- Physical exercise for 30 minutes every day.
- Cutting in half your meal every day (consult your doctor, I am not one, you have been warned)
- Sleeping 8 hours every night.
- Reflecting on your past day, every day.
Potential outcomes
- Becoming a fluent writer
- Becoming fitter
- Becoming healthier
- Becoming more rested
- Becoming wiser
Track your habits to measure improvements. It’s not always doable or convenient. Track, at least, the effort: did you try it today?
Exploit the power of exponentials, do something beneficial in anything that you do, every single day of your life. The compounded effect will lead you to unthinkable achievements.
