The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness

Some self-help books focus on the notion of a breakthrough moment—some significant day, choice, or action that kickstarts a path to success. Olson’s philosophy is different: it is built upon the idea that success is determined by the little choices made every day. The slight edge works one day at a time, one decision at a time, and steady progress accumulates like compounding interest. Transformation occurs, not in some grand way, but within the mundane moments.

One way Olson uncovers this theme is through the examination of his own life and behaviors. While the differences between Gorgeous George, the “beach bum,” and Jeff Olson, the millionaire, appear stark, they didn’t occur in a dramatic fashion. Rather, in looking at the daily routines of each of these versions of himself, Olson noticed that “the seeds of both […] laid in “the simple actions [he] took every day” (15). Though he worked hard as a “beach bum,” it wasn’t the kind of work he needed to do to further his own ambitions and dreams. Eventually, he realized that his daily actions were doing nothing to meaningfully bridge the gap between where he was and where he wanted to be. When he started cultivating small habits and making better little decisions with a positive personal philosophy, Olson saw changes in his life until he eventually became a millionaire. According to Olson, success isn’t a status to achieve, but a continual process; he does not view himself as successful because of his wealth, but because of the long-term habits he’s cultivated to improve his life.

By frequently restating his philosophy, Olson delivers the message that repetition is successful, and that success is an ongoing journey rather than a destination. Intelligent people with big dreams and strong work ethics fail all the time, even when they seek help from self-transformation gurus. Olson attributes this to a lack of understanding about how success works:

Everything these great teachers were talking about worked—but it wasn’t working. People would try to follow it, but when the quantum leap they were looking for didn’t happen in the first thirty, sixty, or ninety days, they would quit (24).

This distinction between “worked” and “working” may seem like semantics, but what Olson is really arguing here is for the continual nature of the process, how success is formed in habit and must continue through routines over time. If a person does all the right things and expects to see results in a few weeks, they will naturally be disappointed when they don’t. This is the product of the instant gratification mentality and the reason why so many courses and self-help tactics are pitched to change a person’s life in a matter of weeks. Olson demonstrates that those weeks do matter, but they need time to compound and really show the results people want. If people quit because they don’t see immediate results, they’ll never see change, which further reinforces the false belief that little daily habits don’t matter. Olson explains that the people who give up in this way think they’re just not one of the lucky ones, but that’s not true:

The power that covered the pond with water hyacinth, that churned the frog’s cream into butter, that turned the first son’s penny into millions, is the same power that turned my mom’s hard-earned paychecks into millions. That power is what this book is about (45).

Olson uses fables that he shares at the beginning of the book to reinforce the idea that a belief in a clear goal combined with positive, consistent, steady habits yields incredible results. Without that belief or positive philosophy, the habits that need to happen won’t form. With only a positive belief but no action, nothing will happen either. It takes hard work, positivity, consistency, and time to achieve the desired results, and all of that comes down to habits.

In addition to instant gratification, Olson warns readers about the ease with which people fall into bad habits. Because habits tend to form automatically, through unconscious instead of purposeful choice, people often choose the easy, less beneficial paths through life. It is easier to hit the snooze button on the alarm clock than it is to get up and do something productive; it is easier to rest comfortably at home than it is to go out for a jog. Just as good habits accumulate happiness and success, bad habits compound into major consequences over time. It’s just as easy to ignore future consequences as it is to overlook future gains, which is why people so often make those easy, automatic, but ultimately poor decisions.

However, because Olson’s philosophy is built on small, daily habits, Olson points out that this means anyone can choose to pursue success at any point, any day. All it takes is a concerted effort to make daily, positive changes and to remain committed to doing so over time.