The Slight Edge: 47 Can't Miss Highlights

What one simple, single, easy-to-do activity can you do, day in and day out, that will have the greatest impact on your health, your happiness, your relationships, your personal development, your finances, your career, and your impact on the world? Your slight edge.

In every podcast episode that I create I spend the first segment talking about a book on my bookshelf that has had an impact on my growth and thinking as I travel the journey to success. Last week in FBF episode 008 I took a look at the Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. This week I wanted to share 47 “golden nuggets” from the book.

I do a lot of reading on my Kindle Paperwhite (which I love and can’t live without). One of the reasons that I love the Paperwhite so much is that I can read in the dark. The technology is such that the screen is front lit, not backlit, which means I read for long periods of time without hurting my eyes. Another reason I love the Paperwhite is I can highlight portions of the text that jump out to me and then Amazon stores those highlights and notes for me. I can print them off, attach them to Evernote, email to a friend or even include them in a blog post. (If you are curious how to get your notes off a Kindle device click here)

So, without further ado, here are the 47 most impactful passages from my reading of Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness.

47 Can’t Miss Highlights: Slight Edge

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson (attrib.) at location 227
You already know how to do everything it would take to make you an outrageous success. All you have to do is keep doing the things that have gotten you this far. at location 422
To find the path to success, you have to back up one more step. It’s the understanding behind the attitudes that are behind the actions. at location 522
Yes, you have to know the winning how-to actions, and you have to possess the winning attitudes—but what generates all that and keeps it all in place is your philosophy. Your philosophy is what you know, how you hold it, and how it affects what you do. at location 524
A positive philosophy turns into a positive attitude, which turns into positive actions, which turns into positive results, which turns into a positive lifestyle. A positive life. at location 527
There are two prevalent types of attitudes: entitled and value-driven. A value-driven attitude says, “What can I do to help you?” An entitled attitude says, “What have you done for me lately?” An entitled attitude says, “Pay me more, and then maybe I’ll work harder.” A value-driven attitude says, “I’ll work harder, and then I expect you’ll pay me more.” at location 537
Successful people fail their way to the top. at location 560
Your philosophy is your view of life, something beyond feelings and attitudes. Your philosophy drives your attitudes and feelings, which drive your actions. at location 561
A great deal of personal development material out there that will make you a happier, more productive, more successful, more fulfilled. at location 592
The things that create success in the long run don’t look like they’re having any impact at all in the short run. at location 1043
Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. at location 1078
Every decision you make is a slight edge decision. What you’re going to do, how you’re going to act, what you’re going to read, who you’re going to chat with on the phone, what you’re going to eat for lunch, who you’re going to associate with. How you’re going to treat your fellow workers. What you’re going to get done today. at location 1309
How long will it take? Chances are it will take longer than you want it to—and that when the time arrives, you’ll be astonished at how quick it seemed. at location 1331
“I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have.” —Coleman Cox. at location 1437
I’ve seen people who have really taken personal development far, who are very developed, but have never moved beyond that. To me, that’s just a waste of that knowledge. at location 1984
Greatness is always in the moment of the decision, at location 2351
The predominant state of mind displayed by those people on the failure curve is blame. The predominant state of mind displayed by those people on the success curve is responsibility. at location 2429
John Burroughs put it, “A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.” at location 2438
People on the failure curve tend to focus on their past—and it pulls them down. People on the success curve focus on their future. at location 2479
Devote some serious, focused time and effort into designing a crystal-clear picture of where you’re going. at location 2496
No matter where you are, at any moment you can choose to step onto the success curve. at location 2603
“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is the definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” —Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich. at location 2606
Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. at location 2644
The knowledge of what one wants. at location 2665
When you are formulating goals and creating a vision for your future, it’s important to be careful whom you share them with. at location 2681
Our world can be harsh on people who talk about an improved reality. Visions and visionaries make people uncomfortable. at location 2697
The size of the problem determines the size of the person. at location 2710
The size of your income will be determined by the size of the problems you solve, too. at location 2714
Either you let go of where you are and get to where you could be, or you hang onto where you are and give up where you could be. at location 2739
You are either going for your dreams or giving up your dreams. Stretching for what you could be, or settling for what you are. There is simply no in-between. at location 2740
Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do, and that often means living outside the limits of one’s comfort zone. at location 2746
Gandhi put it this way: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” at location 2756
Plenty of people invest a good amount of time and effort accumulating knowledge, but still end up living their lives on the failure curve. Why? Because mastering the slight edge and moving onto the success curve is not only a question of the quantity of your learning but also the quality of that learning—and especially whether it includes any doing. at location 2917
How do you determine the choices and decisions that your subconscious makes for you in carving out your life path? The same way you learned to tie your shoes: you create it first with intention, with your conscious mind, and then repeat it over and over, in slight-edge fashion, until it is handed off to your subconscious—at location 3086
You can also define a person by the heroes he or she aspires to emulate. Who are your heroes? Who are you modeling yourself after? at location 3178
Ask yourself, “Can I become like them? Are these people doing the kinds of things that I aspire to do and living the kinds of lives that I aspire to live? at location 3185
Whatever goals you aspire to, seek out people who have achieved the same or very similar goals or who are well along that path, and go camp on their doorsteps or do whatever you can to associate with them, emulate them, and let their grasp, understanding, and mastery of the subject rub off on you. at location 3186
It’s virtually impossible for you to have a positive philosophy. If the five people around you are consistently complaining, living in the past, blaming others for their difficulties, and thinking and acting in a generally negative way, then what are the odds of you finding your way onto the success curve? Slim to none. at location 3216
Do your conversations focus more on the future or on the past? at location 3235
Longevity experts are now telling us that keeping a positive outlook is just as critical a factor to health and long life as diet and exercise! at location 3248
Successful people look at a problem and see opportunity. at location 3712
There aren’t many millionaires who bowl over 100. Why not? Because they left the bowling league behind to build their fortunes. at location 3740
For a goal to come true: You must make it specific, give it a deadline, and write it down. You must look at it every day. You must have a plan to start with. at location 3837
The power of a plan is not that it will get you there. The power of a plan is that it will get you started. at location 3923
If you want twice the success, double your rate of failure. at location 3930
What one simple, single, easy-to-do activity can you do, day in and day out, that will have the greatest impact on your health, your happiness, your relationships, your personal development, your finances, your career, and your impact on the world? at location 4091
Sigmund Freud was once asked what people need in order to be able to live a full and happy life. His reply was three words: “Lieben und arbeiten.” Love and work. at location 4211

This has been one of my favorite blog posts to write as I reviewed my notes and highlights from The Slight Edge. It was a powerful book and really shaped my philosophy this year and my efforts to firmly plant myself on the success curve.

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