The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson was recommended to me by a valued friend. This friend is quite successful in the business world and recommends this book to his people. The theme of the book is “turning simple disciplines into massive success and happiness.” I am struck by how many of the author’s principles are very Solomon-like in their wisdom and impact.
When placed alongside the Wisdom of God’s Word, I think you will find them powerful for your own success trajectory. Here are few quotes to give you a feel for the book:
p 51 “The slight edge is the force behind the amazing power of compound interest.” When this principle is applied to all parts of life – amazing! P 52 “We must master the mundane.” Olson does a great job defining the things which bring true success. When living in an instant society it is difficult to faithfully do the everyday things. True – in all parts of our lives!
P 71 “Successful people form habits that feed their success, instead of habits that feed their failure. They choose to the slight edge working for them, not against them. They build their own dreams, rather than spend their lives building other people’s dreams, and they achieve these dramatic results in their lives through making choices that are the very antithesis of drama – mundane, simple, seemingly insignificant choices.” He adds “Pioneers don’t know what’s out there, but out there, they go anyway. That’s why being a pioneer takes such courage.” This seems true as well!
P 74 “The slight edge is about awareness. It is about you making the right choices, the choices that serve and empower you, starting right now and continuing for the rest of your life, and learning to make them effortlessly.” So much about what I see in the Word of God states this. Words of life. This is what God is all about!
P 76 “Sometimes you have to slow down to go fast.” He quotes Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen who personally repatriated more than 400,000 prisoners of war after World War I, helping to save millions of Russians from starvation. Regarding what is impossible: “The difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a little longer.” True, rewarded success involves dedication to the long haul, does it not!?
On page 190 Jeff Olson gives a poignant summary:
√ The wisest investment you can make is to invest in your own continuous learning and development.
√ Learning by studying and learning by doing – book smarts and street smarts – are the two essential pistons of the engine of learning.
√ On the path to a goal you will be off-course most of the time. Which means the only way to achieve a goal is through constant and continuous course correction.
√ Most of your life – 99.99 percent – is made up of things you do on automatic pilot. Which means I’d essential that you take charge of your automatic pilot’s training.
I find this book to have a lot of truth in it, and as I apply to my own commitment to building Jesus’ Kingdom, I am encouraged!
Dave