DO YOU EVER HAVE A CHOICE BETWEEN A GLASS OF SODA OR A GLASS OF WATER
AND YOU PICK THE SODA BECAUSE "WELL, IF YOU HAVE A GLASS OF SODA TODAY,
IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO WAKE UP OVERWEIGHT AND UNHEALTHY TOMORROW?"
THAT'S BASICALLY HOW WE ALL LIKE TO THINK.
THAT SOMEHOW, SUCCESS ONLY COMES FROM DOING HUGE, IMPORTANT
THINGS RIGHT.
YOU'RE GOING TO ONLY BUY KALE FOR YOUR HOUSE AT SOME POINT
AND BECOME ULTRA HEALTHY, BUT UNTIL THEN,
IT'S NOT LIKE DRINKING THIS ONE SODA WILL ALL OF A SUDDEN MAKE YOU
THIS UNHEALTHY PERSON IN ONE DAY.
SO YOU HAVE THIS BIG PARADOX.
ON ONE HAND, YOU'RE RIGHT.
THE LITTLE DECISION DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.
THIS ONE DECISION WON'T REALLY AFFECT YOUR HEALTH IN ANY SIGNIFICANT WAY.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IT'S REALLY THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS.
BECAUSE IN A YEAR, YOU'LL BE THE RESULT OF YOUR EVERY LITTLE
DECISION COMPOUNDED.
SO IN ESSENCE, EVERY LITTLE DECISION MATTERS.
AND THESE LITTLE THINGS ARE EASY TO DO.
WHEN YOU'RE ON YOUR LUNCH BREAK TOMORROW, YOU CAN MAKE THE CHOICE TO DRINK WATER INSTEAD
OF SODA.
ANYONE IS CAPABLE OF DOING THAT.
BUT SINCE IT'S EASY TO DO, IT'S ALSO EASY NOT TO DO
AND JUST ORDER THE SODA.
BUT WHAT IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS LITTLE THING RIGHT?
YOU WON'T BE ANY HEALTHIER THE NEXT DAY, BUT AFTER A YEAR OF DRINKING WATER INSTEAD
OF SODA EVERY LUNCH, YOU WOULD SEE HUGE HEALTH BENEFITS FROM IT.
AND YOU CAN APPLY THIS TO ANYTHING.
WHAT IF YOU JUST READ 10 PAGES OF A GOOD BOOK EVERY NIGHT BEFORE YOU GO TO BED?
ANYONE COULD DO THAT.
THAT'S A PRETTY EASY THING TO DO.
BUT SINCE IT'S PRETTY EASY TO DO, IT'S ALSO PRETTY EASY TO JUST IGNORE IT AND
NOT DO IT.
IF YOU READ 10 PAGES TONIGHT, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU WILL WAKE UP
THIS SMART, ENLIGHTENED PERSON TOMORROW.
BUT WHAT ABOUT A YEAR FROM NOW?
THAT'S LIKE 15 BOOKS. 15 GOOD BOOKS COULD LITERALLY TURN YOU
INTO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON.
WHAT IF YOU DO THIS FOR 4 YEARS AT COLLEGE WHILE EVERYONE ELSE AROUND YOU DOESN'T READ
THE 10 PAGES BECAUSE IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE GOING TO BE
ANY BETTER THE NEXT DAY?
THAT'S LIKE 60 BOOKS. 60 GOOD BOOKS COULD PUT YOU AHEAD OF
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS WHETHER THAT BE RELATED TO FINANCES, RELATIONSHIPS,
OR JUST OVERALL HAPPINESS.
SO AGAIN, YOU HAVE THIS PARADOX.
ON ONE HAND YOU CAN FALL FOR THE UNSUCCESSFUL MINDSET OF,
"WELL, IT'S NOT LIKE THIS LITTLE DECISION MATTERS."
BUT IN REALITY, THE LITTLE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE IS ALL THAT MATTERS.
EVERY LITTLE DECISION OF YOURS WILL BE COMPOUNDED AT THE END OF THE YEAR
AND WHO YOU ARE WILL BE THE RESULT OF IT ALL.
NOW HERE'S THE THING...
I THINK IT'S JUST HUMAN AND OKAY TO INDULGE IN THINGS...
I DO IT ALL THE TIME.
IT'S NOT LIKE I'M THIS LITTLE ROBOT WHO DOES EVERYTHING QUOTE UNQUOTE RIGHT.
BUT I'M AT LEAST MORE AWARE OF HOW I THINK ABOUT THE LITTLE THINGS.
I HAVE A VISION OF WHO I WANT TO BE IN A YEAR, AND I ASK MYSELF WITH EVERY LITTLE DECISION,
IS THIS GOING TO MOVE ME CLOSER TO THAT PERSON OR NOT?
AND THE ANSWER ISN'T ALWAYS YES, BUT AT LEAST I'M AWARE OF IT,
AND AT LEAST I TRY TO ALIGN MORE OF MY LITTLE DECISIONS WITH THAT VISION.
AND THE MORE I CAN ANSWER YES, THE MORE I REALIZE THAT I'M CLOSER TO BEING
THAT PERSON AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
BUT THE SURPRISING REALIZATION FOR ME HAS BEEN
HOW MANY TIMES THE ANSWER IS NO.
NO, THIS ISN'T MOVING ME TO WHERE I WANT TO BE IN A YEAR.
AND THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON OF THE SLIGHT EDGE.
A HUGE LESSON OF TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHERE YOU ARE IN LIFE.
WHEN YOU GET TO THE END OF THE YEAR AND YOU'RE UNHEALTHY,
HAVING BEEN CONSCIOUS ABOUT ALL YOUR LITTLE DECISIONS
WILL AT LEAST MAKE YOU REALIZE WHY YOU'RE UNHEALTHY.
YOU'RE NO LONGER GOING TO BLAME YOUR POOR HEALTH
ON HOW YOUR JOB DIDN'T PAY YOU ENOUGH TO EAT HEALTHY,
YOU'RE GOING TO REALIZE THAT IT'S BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TO BUY THE SODA OVER
THE FREE WATER EVERY SINGLE DAY AT LUNCH.
IT'S BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TO BUY THE MORE EXPENSIVE BAG OF COOKIES
INSTEAD OF BUYING THE CHEAPER BANANAS EVERY TIME YOU WENT SHOPPING.