The Power of 1%

I desire to grow my social networks. I'd love to be the connecting point for women in business across the United States and be in a constant state of giving back and adding value. 1% improvement each day looks like finding a new female business owner online and connecting with her in a meaningful way. I track and measure how I do this. This seems small and often insignificant, but over the last 2 weeks of measuring this I have been able to know and discover over 10 new businesses. 15 days ago, I didn't know they existed. They didn't know I existed. WIN. Compound this over time and by the end of 2020 I will have reached 200 new women in business. If I double down to 2, 3, or 4 contacts per day....you see where I'm going with this.  If you haven't read Atomic Habits by James Clear, hustle yourself over to Amazon and get your hands on a copy (https://amzn.to/3aeevZj) !  Truly, this book is game changing and full of simple action items that transform. I certainly learned a lot in the book, but I was also affirmed in some measures I've taken with clients in the past that have delivered powerful results. 1% changes over time lead to massive improvements and measurable success. So often we want to flip our world upside down when we are motivated and leave behind any trace of our former selves....but what's the problem with that? When we do that it typically lasts a few days or if we are in the minority, it will last a month or two. That method is painstakingly setting you up for failure.

In the health and wellness world, I coach people to not change all of their meals and snacks to 'healthy' overnight (I loathe using the term 'healthy' in general because the definition varies significantly depending on who you talk to, but I digress) . Instead of approaching a new eating style full blown, I encourage people to start with mastering just breakfast or a snack. If you can change that one simple meal or snack to align more with your long term goals, you win. Every day you show up and master it you're creating momentum. You're coming out victorious. You're moving the needle forward 1%. Over time, 1% compounds. Over the course of a year if you'll slowly improved your eating choices by 1% each day, you'll be almost 40% closer to your goal!  In business, a simple example is networking and prospecting. While it may feel beneficial to set a goal to networking with 100 people per week,  you're likely to run out of steam by month 2. More appropriately, move forward 1% each day. Talk to 1 new person each day. Maybe by week 2 or 3 you're ready to talk to 2 new people per day. Compound your success. Maximize your growth. This is a similar concept to the Snowball Effect. A snowball starts out small, but as it moves forward into more snow - it grows and grows. It leverages its size to pick up more snow. The larger it gets the more snow it's able to pick up. Start small. If you've got a big goal, don't water it down out of fear. Rather, be realistic with the time it will take to achieve it and what 1% improvements each day will look like.  You are the right person to reach your goals. Approach the hustle with eagerness and excitement over your 1%.   You got this (and so do I!), Alicia (self-awareness is a great place to start. find your biggest strengths in 10 minutes, click here)