A powerful book that can change your life.
Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time, said, “Compound Interest is the eighth wonder of the world.“
Agreeing with his words, Darren Hardy, Publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, wrote a book called The Compound Effect, which is The New York Times Bestseller.
This book has some great key ideas that can help us all make a Perfect Life Resolution.
Well, tell me,
Which is the root factor behind a person’s success or failure? His childhood, how he grew up, his environment or something else?
According to the author, that root factor is his own small choices.
There is only one thing in this whole world that we can completely control if we want to, and that is our choices. And these choices are responsible for the outcome in every aspect of our lives.
If you want, you can go to the gym after returning from the office or lie on the sofa and watch TV. If you want, after a fight with your wife for some reason, you can forget everything and hug her or you can come out of there by indulging your ego.
Such small choices determine the outcomes of everything: you will remain healthy for the rest of your life or you will carry disease, you will have a long and sweet relationship or your daughter will have to answer why you divorced her mother.
But we do not pay much attention to such small choices, if I give you two options now: I will give you 1 taka now which will double every day for the next 1 month or I will give you 10 crore taka right now; then which of the offers would you prefer to take?
Most people, maybe almost everyone, will take option number 2 i.e. 10 crore taka. Well then I will keep offer number 1 to myself. Now let’s see what the outcome is after 1 month.
After 5 days I have 16 taka and you have 10 crores. After 10 days I have 512 taka and you have that 10 crores. After 20 days I have 5,24,288 and you have that 10 crores. You are having a lot of fun with so much money.
Now after 31 days you still have that 10 crores but I have 107,37,41,824 i.e. 107 crores. Which is 10 times more than you.
Now it is clear why Einstein called Compound Interest the 8th Wonder of the World. Success also follows this pattern.
Darren Hardy says, “After 31 months or 31 years, the person who uses the positive nature of the compound effect appears to be an overnight success.“
For example, let’s take the example of three friends Rashed, Bijoy, and Jewel. All three grew up in a similar environment, live in the same place, and have roughly the same income. And yes, let’s say all three are married and all of them are having a little disagreement with their wives.
From the beginning of the new month or year, Rashed kept doing what he always does, because he thinks that’s what makes him happy. Yes, he just started complaining about everyone sometimes.
On the other hand, Bijoy made a Daily Checklist and started bringing some small Insignificant Positive Changes in himself. For example:-
- Read 10 pages of a good book every night before going to bed.
- Watch a self-help/motivational video for 30 minutes while commuting to or from the office every day or at a convenient time.
- Cut 125 calories from your daily diet plan.
- Drink at least 2 liters of extra water every day.
- Walk 1 mile every day.
- Call at least 2/1 people who are involved in business interests every day to check on them or improve their relationships.
- Go out for dinner with your wife only 1 day a week.
Now, on the other hand, Jewel started bringing some small Insignificant Negative Changes. For example:
- Eating a little junk food for lunch every day.
- Missing the gym 3/4 days a week on the pretext of work pressure.
- Drinking 1 bottle of cold drinks every day on the way back from office.
- Stopping evening walks to watch favorite shows on TV.
- Reducing official communication on the pretext of lack of time.
- Stopping going out with his wife on the pretext of being busy.
After 5 months, there was no significant difference between the 3 friends. Even after 10 months, it was the same.
This time, Bijoy started getting a little frustrated. Because he still couldn’t see any positive results, he somehow persisted, while Jewel continued to enjoy life by working less. And Rashed was also happy.
But after 25 months, suddenly, a big difference was seen between them, and after 27 months, it was seen even more clearly.
And after 31 months the differences become poles apart.
Rashed now complains more about everyone. He feels bored and purposeless most of the time.
Jewel gained 15 kg weight by eating junk food little by little and skipping gym, along with various diseases. Due to reducing communication, the business situation also started to deteriorate. As a result, the financial situation also deteriorated and the relationship with his wife also deteriorated and went to the stage of divorce.
Small negative changes compounded for 31 months brought a horrific result.
Now let’s come to Vijay. In these 31 months, he has watched about 50 books and 465 hours of useful videos, in which both his Knowledge & Wisdom have increased many times over.
He lost 15 kg by reducing only 125 calories per day and walking 1 mile, which is why he is still as slim and handsome as before. He drank only 2 liters of water every day, which reduced the growth of many diseases in himself.
And by making only two calls every day, he made a total of 1800 calls, so that the relationship improved, as a result, the business also continued to grow.
He took his wife out for dinner just one day a week and made a total of 124 dinner dates, so that his wife was happy, and their relationship also became stronger.
Strong insignificant changes compounded for 31 months brought an outstanding result for him.
But!! If achieving success is so simple and we all know the process, then why do we fail to follow this formula?
According to the author, there are four traps that cause us to fail or not maintain consistency.
1. Starting Results Are Invisible
Imagine if you ate a burger today and woke up the next morning with 15 kg of weight gain, would you ever eat a burger again? Or if you smoked a cigarette today and woke up the next morning with cancer in your throat, would you ever dare to smoke a cigarette again?
But the problem is that in the beginning, no change is noticeable. After a few months or a few years, suddenly, some terrible results appear overnight, until there is no chance to stop it.
To avoid this trap, you always have to remember that “Every choice you make ignites a butterfly effect” means you have to be careful and consider every choice carefully.
2. Deceptiveness
If a plane going to Los Angeles goes off route by even 1 degree, that plane will land on another island 150 miles away from Los Angeles. Now think about it, if you go off route by even 1 degree in your life for 10 or 15 years, where will you land in your life!
To avoid this, it is very important to have a guideline. For example, a Daily Checklist that will help you stay on track like a footprint. If you go off track for some reason, then this checklist will help you a lot to get back on track.
3. Immediate Gratification
You have two options, after dinner you can have a hot chocolate cake or just drink 1 glass of water. You chose water and one of your friends took the cake.
Your friend happily started eating the cake in front of your eyes. Meanwhile you are drinking only water which has no taste at all. How will you feel then?
This is the trap!
If you look at the short term, if you choose a good choice, you get nothing but if you choose a bad choice, you get a lot of happiness and fun.
Which is a great paradox
As Darren Hardy says, “Short term pleasures create long term pains and short term pains create long term pleasures.”
Once in a lifetime, you have to suffer, you can’t skip it. This pain is of two types: Pain of Discipline and Pain of regret.
But the pain of discipline weighs only a few grams and lasts for a few days, whereas the pain of regret weighs a few tons and lasts a lifetime. Now the choice is yours.
4. What is easy to do is also not easy to do
Maintaining a checklist, drinking only two bottles of water a day, walking 1 mile; these are very easy to do.
Yes, it is easy, but it is also very difficult to do.
The author says that there is only one thing that is common between successful and unsuccessful people, none of them likes to choose the good choice.
Yes, that is true!
No one likes to drink only tasteless water instead of hot chocolate cake, but successful people also do that task somehow by using their Will Power or their own Why Power.
As Muhammad Ali said, “I hated every minute of training but I love being a world champion.“
So to escape this trap, you need to find that Why. The more powerful this Why is, the more powerful you will be.
So prepare a Checklist on daily basis, which will guide you throughout the year to stay on the right track.
One thing is fixed that you can never escape from the compound effect, either u earn it or you pay for it.
Book Buying
If you are interested in reading The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, you can find it in major bookstores and online platforms like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local bookshops.
Many libraries also have copies available if you prefer to borrow instead of buy.
Investing in this book is a small step toward understanding how tiny, consistent actions can lead to extraordinary results over time.
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Final Thoughts
Success is not about big leaps but about the small daily choices that compound over time.
Whether it’s improving your health, finances, or relationships, the principle remains the same—small, consistent actions create massive results.
Most people fail because they ignore the invisible early stages of change, get distracted by short-term pleasures, or lack discipline.
But those who stick to the right path eventually see extraordinary success. The Compound Effect is not just a theory—it’s a real-life formula that has shaped the lives of many successful people.
If you want to see meaningful changes in your life, start today with small, positive habits and stay consistent. You might not see results immediately, but over time, those tiny efforts will lead to something remarkable.
