People get worn down. They get stuck in a rut, they get down on themselves and their career and they perform below their expectations in their home life, their professional life and their community. We’re human, it happens!! It’s likely that you’ve experienced that feeling of “I know I can do better, I just don’t know how!” some time in your life and you may be experiencing it right at this second. If you’re like me, you probably think the best way to combat this feeling is to make major changes in your life. You come up with an overwhelming list of drastic improvements, stick to it for a day or two, then start realizing you can’t keep it up and feel like a big failure.
Sound familiar? You may think your problem is that you have no will power or just aren’t trying hard enough or don’t want it enough…but that usually isn’t the case. Have you ever thought about the power of little changes? How little am I talking about? Well, according to Tom Connellan, author of Change Your World in 71 Days, the change you need to make is 1%. Just 1%?? You might be thinking. Yes, just 1%. Because, with the power of compound interest, if you just improve on something 1% for 71 days, at the end of that time frame, you will be twice as good at it. Don’t ask me to do the math, that isn’t my strong suit, but I believe that Tom has done his math and that by making this very achievable change, you really can turn your life around.
If you don’t believe me, pick up Change Your World in 71 Days and find out for yourself! This is a quick little book to read and it shouldn’t take you more than a day or two to get through. Instead of drily explaining his subject matter, Tom writes the book in story form from the perspective of Jack, a salesperson and family man who feels he is not reaching his potential in any part of his life and that he is slowly losing enthusiasm for a career he once loved and excelled at. Now it’s obvious from the writing that Connellan’s not a fiction writer, but the story does get the point across and makes for an easy read. We go through not only how the ‘Law of 71’ changes Jack’s career, but also how it affects his home life, his involvement in the community and how he shares it with others. Through his help, his daughter improves her study habits and her grades, his wife is able to get her diet and exercise program back on track, his friends are able to improve their marriage, etc. The examples might seem a bit reaching, but they are there to show that the ‘Law of 71’ can be applied to any part of your life and help you achieve improvement.
There are no earth-shattering revelations in Change Your World in 71 Days, it’s more explaining how small changes add up and the value of persistence. However, page after page you are reminded that the longest journey begins with just one small step and that making just a 1% improvement every day will eventually lead to very large things. This book is recommended for all those who just want to do BETTER and are willing to put in a little extra effort to get there.
Tom Connellan is a sought-after keynote speaker, executive coach, and consultant whose clients include such diverse organizations as FedEx, Sobeys, Neiman Marcus, RBC, Canadian Tire, Sony, Marriott, Home Depot and the military.