Does 1% really matter?

We’ve made it another week during this global pandemic and wowza, these continue to be wild times! 
 
Each day seems to carry a certain level of….familiarity… (insert Groundhog Day reference here). Yet, every day also brings something new. Extraordinary scenarios seem to arise daily as we navigate this global pandemic.
 
We’re not on a simple rinse & repeat cycle. Today’s cycle is more often something like this: rinse, learn the day’s unprecedented challenge, make the best of the situation and then repeat.  
 
This cycle can be exhausting. 
 
When you’re in this cycle, it can be really hard to think about things like growing, improving or getting better. Sometimes we just need to focus on surviving and persisting. 
 
Yet, even if your focus is lasered in on putting one foot in front of the other, I encourage you to consider how you might be able to make incremental improvements.  
 
Why?
 
Because small changes can yield big results. 
 
As an athlete, I’ve always believed that getting a little bit better each day is the way to go. Let’s say you decided to run a marathon…would you simply lace up, walk outside and run 26 miles? Probably not.
 
The more likely scenario is that you would start with a short run and build up your distance and your running stamina over time. 
 
I recently learned of the “1 in 60 Rule” in aviation – a concept that drove this point home for me. The 1 in 60 Rule states that a one degree heading error could put an aircraft one mile off course after 60 miles of travel. 
 
Let’s say a plane takes off from Los Angeles and is headed for New York City – and that the pilot shifts direction by 3.5 degrees south. That plan will land in Washington, D.C. – hundreds of miles away! 
 
Small changes have big impacts.
 
The exponential impact of a 3.5% shift is evident on the ground too. When it comes to saving and investing money, the impact of incremental increases is also apparent. With the power of compounding interest (aka making money on your money), even putting 1% more into your accounts each year can make a noticeable difference in how (and when) you reach your savings goals. 
 
Underestimating the value of making small daily improvements is easy. So is putting pressure on yourself to have a massive and dramatic moment that means everything changes. 
 
I invite you to focus on making, small incremental changes with whatever it is you’d like to do. Think about what’s important to you today and decide you will advance the ball forward.  It doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be a grand, sweeping revolution. Yes, even 1% matters!