Understanding Small Steps: Insights from 'The Slight Edge'

The Slight Edge Main Takeaways I’ve never been the type of person to buy into, or even read, many self-help books; however, I really appreciated reading this book. The few previous experiences I’ve had with them seemed very hard to apply to my life. What I think this book did differently was show that although you won’t see results right away, in whatever it is you do, if you do the little things right (or wrong) every day, you will see positive (or negative) results over time. I think one of the most powerful moments of the book was when he mentioned how many people today want to go from planting, directly to harvesting, instead of planting, cultivating, and then harvesting. I see this in my own life as a referee in Junior hockey. I feel as if I am always striving for that level, and sometimes want to be working that next level, even if I am not ready for it. This example of not

I really liked his statement that, “Luck is preparedness that eventually creates opportunity.” This stuck with me because I thought about how in officiating, many people get opportunities on higher level games if someone gets hurt. The people that make the most out of those opportunities are the ones who are the most prepared. Many of the officials who do well on these games tend to stay at the higher level at which they were given an opportunity. Perhaps the most powerful takeaway I had from the book would be the concept of being the average of your five best friends in terms of income, health, finances and many other aspects of life. I’ve never thought about the fact that the people you spend the most time with can really influence the way I carry myself, what I say, how I think, and many other aspects of my life. When I took a step back and looked at whom I spent the most time with, and then looked at the median income of the job I want in the future, the income was $3,000 off. This proved to me that this was a fairly accurate