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While I know that I normally write about travel, the outdoors, and a sprinkle of gratitude here and there, one of my 2020 goals was to read one book and listen to one audiobook each month. Then, I wanted to write a blog post about each of them. The reason why I wanted to include it in my blog is because with traveling there can be a significant amount of downtime. If you are taking a road trip, there are hours in the car that can be spent listening to audiobooks. If you’re on a plane or waiting in the airport, you can add in physical books. So hopefully you will consider reading and listening along with me. My first review was of “You are a Badass” and can be found here. Next up, “The Compound Effect” review.

The Compound Effect Review

This was the first time that I read The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. And while it is available in audio format, I chose to read the physical book. This book reminded me a lot of The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson which I have read and listened to many times. The Compound Effect is much shorter though which can be good or bad depending on your preferences.

The book is opened with a message from Anthony Robbins so you know it means business as he is considered one of the big guys in the personal development realm.“No matter what you learn, what strategy or tactic you employ, success comes as the result of the Compound Effect.” This highlights that the decisions that you make on a daily basis shape your future. This can either be really exciting or really scary based on your habits.

The Compound Effect Review – Background

Darren Hardy is the publisher of SUCCESS magazine so he is incredibly qualified to write this book. He sets up the book with several examples so you can understand the power of The Compound Effect right away. My favorite example he provides is of three friends who live in the same neighborhood and have similar incomes but make just slightly different choices. Without spoiling it, there are no perceivable differences between the three of them at 5 months or 10 months. However at about 2 years the outcomes are drastically different.

One thing that I learned from The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson was that those slightly different choices are easy to make but also easy not to make. One of the ways that Darren Hardy gets you to become aware of your choices is to start tracking them. While reading this may immediately make you file this book away in the “no thanks” category of your brain, I would encourage you to reconsider. He provides a number of examples in a variety of areas which will help you to see how important this is.

The Compound Effect Review – Habits and Momentum

While we discussed the importance of making the right choices. Sometimes we have habits that are so ingrained, we aren’t necessarily in control. Rather, our habits are actually driving the bus instead. In the Compound Effect, Darren reveals how to identify these habits and replace them with habits that serve you.

These positive habits lead to momentum or “Big Mo” as Darren likes to call it. He teaches you how to harness the power of Big Mo to make it work in your favor. This helps to explain why you may have difficulties if you start and stop a workout program, vs if you commit to exercising daily. Consistency is the key to success in all areas of your life and you can achieve this consistency by creating a rhythm and harnessing Big Mo.

The Compound Effect Review – Influences and Acceleration

When I was growing up, one of my friends from middle school was named Heather. Heather had a pretty thick Southern accent. Although we lived in North Carolina, my parents were from Ohio and relatively “accent free”. However, they could tell every time I hung out with Heather my Southern accent would get thicker and thicker.

Not that an accent is a big deal, but just like this example, you become like the people you hang around. This book isn’t the first to notice that you are the average of your 5 closest friends. You tend to make a similar amount of money, have a similar level of fitness, approach life with a similar attitude, and maybe pick up each other’s accents (ha!). But you get the idea. In The Compound Effect, Darren helps you figure out what is influencing you so you can make the appropriate changes.

Lastly, in The Compound Effect, Darren helps us take everything up a notch by pushing past the areas where we would normally stop. This is the way to take your life to the next level.

The Compound Effect Review – Summary

Overall, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy was a great book. It could easily be read in one sitting and provides actionable steps to implement today to assess yourself and make the changes that you need to make to make a lasting difference in your life.

Have you read The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy? Let me know what you thought about it in the comments!

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