A small percent better

I am interested recently in the idea of compound interest as it applies to all aspects of our lives. I learned the idea of compound interest as it relates to money. Albert Einstein called it the eighth wonder of the world. Benjamin Franklin put it this way, “Money makes money. And the money that money makes, makes money.”

Put a few dollars in the bank with an account that earns interest and let it sit there as long as possible and it will grow exponentially to a large sum. The more money you start with (or add over time) and the higher the interest it earns the faster that money will grow.

The graph illustrates how exponential growth (green) eventually surpasses both linear (red) and cubic (blue) growth. By Exponential.png: Lunkwill / derivative work: McSush - Exponential.png, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8897133

But I am fascinated with the application of compounding to the rest of our lives as well. We can get better ever day. We can make small improvements. And some of that growth and improvement will grow exponentially rather than linearly.

James Clear wrote about this in his excellent book, Atomic Habits. Read it. Then read it again.

The reason I write about it here is that the small improvements made daily to our health–eating right, sleeping, exercise, investing in relationships–should not be made with anticipation of only slow improvement, but with anticipation for explosive and dramatic benefits to our lives. On the flip side, bad behaviors can compound to the negative consequences, with illness and disease coming slowly, then suddenly.

Our medical care also can improve exponentially with small daily improvement and investment. Can we deliver care 1, 2, or 4% better tomorrow, next month, or next year? Can we build on that improvement with steady, consistent effort and exponential improvement?