Customer Reviews

The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is truly a book I would recommend to anyone...and the only reason I would ever recommend a book is if it's had significant, real personal impact on my life in practical ways...and this book has done just that. It's caused me to be more consciously aware of the slight edge when making small, seemingly insignificant decisions throughout the day.

Jeff doesn't necessarily offer up a new philosophy or idea in this book. But he uncovers the simple, eternal truths about success and failure, and he calls it the "slight edge": simplified disciplines (good or bad) compounded over time. This principle, which is true to everyone, everywhere, can be recognized and applied to EVERY area of life.

He explains how our society has been inundated with what he calls the "breakthrough mentality": how we expect success and completion to come easily and quickly. He breaks down the slight edge and how it affects your financial prosperity, health, relationships, etc. This book really causes you to look at your life, where you're at, how you got there, and the choices you can make daily to get to where you want to go.

I have read the book, I have listened to the audiobook. I will continue to refer back to it's principles.

Bottom Line: It's easy reading, it's practical, it's useful. It's not fluff or hype, but it's written by a realist who knows what it is to fail, and what it takes to succeed greatly. Not only would I recommend this to everyone (which I RARELY ever do for a book), but if I was in charge of things, I would make this a required text in high schools.

I've came in contact with this book through my part-time business opportunity since Jeff Olson is one of the owners of our parent company. What can I say first, except - WOW! This book teaches such a simple philosophy; yet that philosophy can effect everything in your life. If you apply the Slight Edge to your career, relationships, health, fitness or anything else in our life, you will succeed. Also, if you are failing in what ever area, the slight edge will explain to you why you are failing. As the book states, success and failure are both predictable. Read this book, or get the audio book and learn the simple philosophy of the slight edge.

Author Jeff Olson offers the secret to a successful life in his "The Slight Edge." This book centers on answering the questions, "Why are some people successful, and some people failures? What is the difference - really?

The book begins with three stories, of which I will share the one about the water hyacinth - a beautiful, delicate-looking little plant. The hyacinth is one of the most productive (successful) plants on earth; its reproductive rate astonishes botanists and ecologists. The method it prefers for colonizing a new area is to grow by doubling itself. One plant can multiply to cover an entire pond in thirty days.

The "Slight Edge" involves the flywheel effect which caused the hyacinth to multiply. Success is built on each turn of the flywheel which builds upon work done earlier, compounding the investment of effort. It doesn't come from nowhere; it can't be conjured up out of thin air. It comes from a very small, tiny beginning, and grows with time.

The secret ingredient to success is one's philosophy. What are the attitudes behind your actions? Your attitudes lead to actions which lead to results - creating your life. Olson provides a useful diagram of our actions and how their compounding interest leads to success or failure over time. The upper curve on the diagram is the formula for success: a few simple disciplines, repeated every day over time. The lower curve is the formula for failure: a few simple errors in judgment, repeated every day over time. The upper curve represents the one person out of twenty who follows the "Slight Edge." It's pure geometry, the geometry of effects over time. One can choose time will to be a friend or an enemy.

Each of us, every day and every hour, chooses which side of this curve we want to ride. "The Slight Edge" provides good guide on making the right choice, and a reminder that successful people form habits that feed their success, instead of habits that feed their failure.

read the glowing reviews of this book and had hopes of feeling similarly inspired by it, but it didn't have that much of an impact on me.

Jeff Olson offers some simple, sensible, helpful and constructive advice to his readers, and it's presented with friendly intent, but there is nothing new. The book starts off with the promise, not that we are going to discover new techniques for personal success, but that we will learn a new way to use the techniques we already have. I kept waiting for this 'new way' to be presented. Olson's basic premise is that small actions taken over time add up to big effects, and that taking some kind of action, however small, is better than doing nothing. Good advice, but not original. The book started to feel overlong quite early on, and I skimmed through the latter half because I felt I was reading the same information and ideas over and over again. Olson does make the point that making life changes involves paying a price - a fact that many self-development writers gloss over, and the most constructive bit of advice in the book, I feel.

A well-inentioned book that promises something different but takes a long time to say the same thing.

I listened to the audio version of this book first. After my first time, I wanted to understand every tiny part of it, so I listened to it several times in my car. Then, I wanted to highlight certain aspects of it, so I read the book so I could highlight information that was most important to me. I have been reading self-help, personal development books for over 30 years. This is THE most useful one I have ever read. I would have gained more from the others if I had read this one first (of course it had not been written yet!) If you are interested in personal development and/or helping yourself become successful in any part of your life, this little book is the first one you should buy. It is definately life changing!

I'm absolutely jazzed to be the first one to provide a review for this book! Although merely calling it a book is like calling The Grand Canyon a ditch! "The Slight Edge" is a user manual for the human mind and - if followed -THE blueprint for success both personally and professionally! It should be the next book you read before doing anything else!

I've had the opportunity of seeing Mr. Olson live on a couple occasions - and he's awesome! The information he brings to the table is REAL - not hypothetical. He walks his talk.

The information contained in this book is a primer for everything you'll ever do in life. It's the kind of information you'll wish you would've learned in school before going out into the world. And other than a religious upbringing - this is THE best gift you could ever provide your children and/or young people in your life!

In time I feel Mr. Olson's books will hold treasured positions in libraries - both private and public - along with Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, and other great authors!

I value Mr. Olson as a mentor and coach in my life - and when you read this book you will as well!

This book changed my life. Jeff Olsen's teaching in this book really helped me to understand the importance of stick-to-it-ness in business and personal matters. After I read this book, I was able to stick to my workout regimen that I had been struggling with, and I lost about 20lbs. Whenever I don't feel like doing the things that I know are necessary in order to achieve my goals, I think about the slight edge curve - do I want it to go up or down. This principle will stay with me forever.

I enjoyed Mr. Olson's book.

In his book, he talks about investing a penny each day. A penny represents something that is easy to do, and also easy not to do. Over time, those pennies blossom and earn compound interest. Success in anything is the product of small things done consistently over time.

Very powerful.

This Was the Most Life Changing Book I have Ever Read! And I have read a lot of Great Books. Since I have read it I've lost over 20 Lbs, Started a business and my life has dramatically changed for the better. Order as Soon as you can. It is worth every Penny.

I read "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson nine months ago. The principles are easy to follow and I read it in one sitting! (You won't want to put it down). The advice Olson gives on success and making The Slight Edge work in your favour differs from most self help books in that it encourages you to DO rather than wish or think your success into fruition.

The application of 0.03% improvement every day in any or all areas of your life certainly works. It will help you to develop a positive attitude towards doing seemingly small / insignificant tasks ; do them well and get started on those big tasks - all the things your GOING TO DO.

Baby steps is all it takes. I suggest that if you were applying The Slight Edge technique; you start a journal to track your progress! If you apply it properly you will recieve positive feedback from others.

I purchased two copies of the book: One to lend out and one to keep for myself......

If you are willing and ready to take action, "The Slight Edge" will give you the tools you need to succeed.