Compound interest is exciting stuff. Especially when you apply it to your life. The idea that as you start improving your life you gain more ability to improve your life is not just an idea, but for me a verified fact. Like any compound interest, it starts off slowly, then gains momentum until it’s an almost unstoppable force. Here’s a small case study of existential compound interest in action from my own life:
I’ve been making some lifestyle changes recently in order to become healthier and thus better serve my purpose. In the past I had tried several times to cut down on the soda, as the carbonation, sugar, and excessive caffeine don’t do me any favors. Recently there’s been talk about sodium benzoate, but I’d been trying to quit long before that became a news item.
A little background
I’d never been able to get off soda entirely. I would almost get there and then would spring back when I felt like I had been deprived (or when the caffeine withdrawal hit me).
A little over a month ago I decided to set up a procedural to make healthier choices regarding my activities and dietary intake. I have been aided in setting it up by use of the Ideal Weight paraliminal. I’m not especially heavy, but like most Americans, I can afford to lose some pounds.
The effect in action
Having been strengthened further by applying my purpose to the matter, I decided to go quiet and listen for a solution from within. I had a prompting that I could wean myself off by switching to tea. I took the advice, and switched to tea. Still rather sweet, still caffeinated, but lacking the carbonation. I was also able to slowly decrease the amount of sugar in the tea. Since tea is generally meant to be sipped rather than chugged, I was able to get down to two cups per day. Nowadays I hardly put any sugar in the tea at all, thus reducing my sugar input to a tiny fraction of what it was. I’m also thinking about slowly transitioning over to mint tea, thus getting off caffeine entirely.
At roughly the same time as this process, I decided to start substituting salads for the greasy and/or starchy side-dishes that I had been preparing at home. As previously mentioned, I also went to healthier lunch options, which recently were improved yet again by making a salad the primary feature of the lunch. A previous attempt had been partially successful, as I had started drinking Splenda sweetened Diet Coke, but cheated every now and then (especially on a long/rough day at work). Now, I’m in a much better position.
None of these changes were made in the spirit of depriving myself. I was monitoring my internal state each time, and each change was made not out of a sense of guilt, shame, or fear, but out of a desire to be more healthy. The problem was the soda. I don’t eat all that much, but being in a swivel-chair profession, my body doesn’t burn much. Drinking 2, 3, even 4 cans of soda a day sometimes adds a massive amount of calories.
The result
I am not looking to reach my perfect weight instantly. I don’t want to “yo yo” and wind up heavier than I already was. That having been said, I am noticing that my clothes are starting to get a little looser. I seem to have more energy and less dependence on caffeine for alertness. A year ago or even six months ago I would never have considered this possible. Even now such sweeping changes in a short period are not difficult to produce or even to maintain. The power of deciding to improve your life and then taking steps to do so may not show immediately, but given time it will produce miraculous results.
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