In our last +1, we casually talked about David Goggins going from his first quarter-mile run (weighing 297 pounds) to an epic 205 MILE NONSTOP 39-HOUR RUN.
Pause and feel into that for a moment.
Here’s a guy who weighed 297 pounds. He couldn’t run more than a quarter of a mile.
And for some ODD reason, he thought he could become a Navy SEAL. Then he decided he’d pay the price to make that dream a reality.
And now he can bang out a 205-mile run?
WHAT?
How is that even possible?
Well, when I read that passage, I immediately did the math on how much longer 205 miles is vis-a-vis one quarter of a mile. Of course, it’s a little over 800 times longer.
800!!
Then I connected that to our incremental Optimizing math exercise via James Clear’s Atomic Habits. Remember what happens when you compound 1% gains over a decade? You break the Google Spreadsheet. You’re a QUADRILLION times better.
Laughing.
+1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%.
Going just a little beyond your normal stopping point.
+1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%.
Again. And again. And again.
+1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%. +1%.
Aggregating and compounding those TINY little incremental gains until you can do your equivalent of a 205-mile run.
Let’s do that.
Starting with some +1%s Today.
