The slight edge by jeff olson pdf download

I was on top of the world. What I did not yet know was that nothing ever stays the same: everything is in motion.

Everything changes. Times changed. Tax laws changed. Our industry was hit hard. Before I knew what was happening, I had lost everything, gone back to zero and below—owing more money than I thought I could ever even hope to make again. After living as a failure all my life, I woke up one day and came to my senses, went back to college, applied myself like crazy, entered at the bottom and graduated at the top, worked for a major corporation for five years and went to the very top, built my own company in less than five years and went to the top Twelve years of blood and guts, and I was more of a failure than ever.

Was life just inherently unfair? Was that it? Was there simply no rhyme or reason for anything? Was there no point in even trying? That was when I began to examine more carefully what had happened in my life. I had been a college dropout, a beach bum and a complete financial failure.

And all of those had been the same person. So what was the difference? It made no sense. Or did it? For the first time, I began to see that over the years of my roller-coaster career, I had gone through a rich sequence of experiences that held the secrets to success as well as to failure. I had proven to myself, beyond any shadow of doubt, the depths of failure that simple daily errors in judgment could produce. I had also seen what simple daily disciplines could accomplish.

It was time to pull away the veil of circumstance and look right at the heart of the matter. To go behind the results and examine the actions, and behind the actions to find the attitudes, and behind the attitudes to discover the thinking that held them there.

That was when I began to discover and explore the Slight Edge. Since that time, I have built some extraordinary businesses and earned more money than I ever dreamed of back when I was a corporate manager or solar energy entrepreneur.

I could lose it all tomorrow. But there is something I cannot lose, and with that one thing I could start from scratch and build it all back up again. That one thing is the Slight Edge. Another customer lost in his early morning thoughts.

And another job well done. I looked down: I could see my reflection in my shoes. Indeed I am. Thanks very much. I paid her, gave her as big a tip as I could without I hoped having her feel I was being patronizing, and walked away with clean shoes and a heavy heart. But why the beach bum and not the shoeshine woman? I now walked through a growing throng of travelers as I worked my way toward my gate.

I noticed all the faces filing past me. Hardly anyone was smiling. Most of my fellow travelers were trudging with their heads bowed down. I saw bored expressions. Everybody looked so tired. Failing is exhausting. I heard angry words. I stopped for a cup of coffee and heard a young couple arguing with each other. A burly man scolded his young son to the point of tears.

A heavy woman complained about the service, then the prices, then her food, and then started back in on the service again. The other people in line nodded their heads. A few joined her in a chorus of negativity. Why is everyone so … down? Everything these people need to know to change their lives for the better is already available. All the information they could possibly need to put them on a path of extraordinary success and fulfillment is out there, in books and CDs, DVDs and workshops.

There are people to help them—rich, living resources to guide them, be their mentors, teachers, coaches and allies. It was all already available. I looked around the airport as the early morning rush hour swelled its ranks of busy, hurrying, scowling, unhappy people shambling past with no spark in their faces, no bounce in their step. I wished I could somehow address them all, that I could touch all their lives with my silent soliloquy. If only you were aware of the Slight Edge.

If only you knew what it was doing in your life and how easy it is to have the Slight Edge working for you—instead of against you. If only you were making the right choices, doing those simple, little disciplines that would change your life for the better forever … where would you be five years from today?

If only you learned to recognize the Slight Edge If only But it was only in my head. Not a soul heard my words … nobody, that is, but me. That day, on the plane, I started writing this book. The Slight Edge is not just more good information. Nobody needs that. This book is a precursor to help you use that information. I have since been back to that airport.

In fact, I have been back through there many, many times. I have looked for the shoeshine woman, but she is no longer there. But I do know this: she is not alone. There are millions upon millions of people, everywhere I go, everywhere I look, whose lives are not all that they wish, not all that they yearn for.

Not even close. And yet they could be. I dedicate this book to you and to those who have already put the Slight Edge into practice. I have been fortunate to be the CEO and owner of many successful companies.

So how did I get there? When you get the opportunity to be around successful CEOs and influential authors and speakers, their wisdom has a way of rubbing off on you. But the main reason for my success—and the success of other influential people around the world—continues to be the daily application of the philosophy I am going to share with you called the Slight Edge.

After my time at Texas Instruments and building my own company Sun Aire of America, which at the time was one of the largest solar energy companies in the country, I went on to build three separate multimillion-dollar sales forces, one of which I was appointed CEO. I arrived at these destinations, not by being smarter than everyone else, not by quantum leaps of advancement, but by consistently applying the Slight Edge philosophy.

Influential authors and speakers were lining up at my door, due to the large distribution of personal-development information our company produced. I sat with Oprah Winfrey for lengthy in-depth discussions on the path of personal development. I worked closely with Jan Miller, the biggest literary agent of personal development. I even went to Nashville, the capital of country music, to talk with legendary country music executive Jimmy Bowen about mixing personal development with music.

I met with about every leading author and speaker on every topic you can imagine, many of whom made appearances in many of our programs.

TPN was making huge waves. Does Chicken Soup for the Soul sound familiar? It should; this one book has sold over million copies and has spawned several other titles that have been translated into several languages. I was there in when author Mark Victor Hansen shared with me his idea and dream to create the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. We were not just information providers but information producers.

You see, there is no magic bullet, quick fix, or quantum leap method to reach success. Although some might have success in the beginning, the results are not long lasting, This ends up frustrating the consumer and makes them give up on otherwise great information, that if applied with the right philosophy would have given them great results.

What the Slight Edge philosophy is meant to do is give you a philosophy that will become a filter for every decision you make. It will give you a way to apply great information into your life in a way that will produce lasting results. If you understand the Slight Edge philosophy then you can effectively apply any sound principle or action into your life with success. And that is a percent guarantee. I have been teaching the Slight Edge philosophy for many years now, and published the first edition of the book in These are wonderful books and I encourage you to go buy them to learn more about their interpretation of the Slight Edge philosophy.

Many other readers of The Slight Edge have gone on to accomplish amazing things by simply implementing the Slight Edge principles in their lives—many of the stories we will share with you in this revised edition. It began when the book was only a concept. To flesh it out I went to the Mountain Shadow Resort in Phoenix to get away by myself and spent a weekend listening to Jim Rohn and other legendary personal-development icons.

Soon I started to see an overall philosophy develop from all that I read and heard that weekend. The best way to convey it was to simply draw it out. From this crude drawing I started to teach it out on the road and it soon became known as the Slight Edge.

Everywhere I went people wanted me to give the Slight Edge speech. My next task was to get it out of my head and onto paper so people could read it whenever they wanted. I wrote the first pages and then life got busy and the unfinished manuscript sat on my credenza for years.

Eventually I carved out the time to finish it. I was never trying to create a best seller with The Slight Edge. I was simply trying to get it out of my brain and onto paper as fast as I could so people would stop hounding me about it. This way I could point to the book without having to explain the entire philosophy. First, I sent the book out to a few friends who wanted it, thinking that would be it. But I received more calls from my friends telling me how much they got out of reading the book, which I laughed at.

I discounted much of what they were saying because these were my close friends and I figured they were just being supportive. But then I started getting calls from people who had received the book from my close friends, and it mushroomed from there. All this time others were telling me this, but I was too busy to notice.

In fact, it never had wide distribution because it could only be purchased by calling a number. By simple word-of-mouth the book has exploded at a grassroots level— completely organic.

And now that we have seen how it is affecting so many lives I wanted to make it better—to take it to the next level. She was the driving force behind this project and pushed me to make this book even better than it already is. Over the years, people have shared with me how the Slight Edge was working in their life. I told them to give me their business card with the topic either finances, health, sports, etc on the back and we would call them to get their story in writing.

Amber finally volunteered to call these people when she saw the drawer spilling over with business cards of people anxious to share their stories. Again, I want to thank my daughter for finding the time to call these wonderful people and to personally thank them for sharing with me the stories you are about to read. People had finally begun to ask themselves, What I am doing with my life? I want something more.

Today we are experiencing a similar revival. I tell you all this so that before I start explaining the Slight Edge philosophy you get to see how I came to understand the Slight Edge and how these principles have stood the test of time by themselves—with or without my influence—and have enabled people to accomplish amazing things. As a way to thank all of the readers, this revision is dedicated to all the past, present and future readers of The Slight Edge.

All we have done is plant the seed. You are the ones who have watered and cultivated it to be what it is today. In this revised edition we have meticulously gone through each chapter and expanded it with new stories, as well as updates based upon observation of the Slight Edge principles over the last five years.

There is a new chapter in this edition called 7 Slight Edge Principles. It is a good foundation on which to start your own personal-development journey, all the while creating a positive ripple effect, by one action that creates several positive reactions. The one thing I am most excited about in this revised edition is the chance to share with you the stories of many readers of The Slight Edge.

We have received thousands of amazing stories from readers explaining how The Slight Edge has helped them with their personal relationships, finances, business, health, and life pursuits just by injecting the Slight Edge philosophy into their lives. The results have created a ripple effect having a lasting impact on everyone they meet. Their stories explain the principles and real-life applications far better than I ever could. I hope you will be moved by their stories as much as I was.

My daughter Amber contributed a section addressing the next generation of readers of The Slight Edge. She has grown up with The Slight Edge and knows the importance of getting this information into the hands of young people to help them understand that the choices they make today will affect the rest of their lives. Through my father and others, I have seen the impact of a lifetime full of right and wrong decisions and where they lead you. I am forever grateful to have had the Slight Edge philosophy instilled in me at a young age by my parents, because I was able to end up on the positive side of the Slight Edge curve by being aware that the choices I make on a daily basis matter.

Please come experience the slight edge community at www. I look forward to seeing you there! Prized as an ornament, it sports six-petaled flowers ranging from a lovely purplish blue, to lavender, to pink.

You can find it floating on the surface of ponds in warm climates around the world. The water hyacinth is also one of the most productive plants on earth; its reproductive rate astonishes botanists and ecologists. In fact, for the first few weeks you will have to search very hard to find it. On the twentieth day two-thirds of the way to the end of the month , you may happen to notice a dense little patch of floating foliage, about the size of a small mattress.

On the thirtieth day, the entire pond will be covered by a blanket of water hyacinth. You will not see any water at all. They soon found themselves in a dairy. Hopping and jumping around frogs will be frogs, after all , they jumped into a milk pail half full of cream. At first, they were both thrilled. They had never tasted anything so delicious! They drank and drank.

Soon after some contented frog belches followed by much giggling they were both full-bellied and getting just a bit sleepy. But there was a problem. The inside of the pail was too slippery to climb, and there was nothing on which they could place their feet for traction to get up a good hopping distance The awful reality dawned on them: they were trapped.

Let us save what dignity we have left and die here like frogs, with our eyes facing our homeland! We should never give up! When we were tadpoles, which of us would ever have dreamed that some day we would emerge from the water and hop about on land? Swim on, and pray for a miracle! But the first frog refused to give up. He continued to swim.

He swam and he swam in ridiculous, pointless, useless, futile circles, hoping against hope for a miracle.

Fired by adrenaline, he paddled mightily Was my brother right? Am I a fool? Are there no miracles in the life of a frog? Finally, he could swim no more But something odd then happened He just sat exactly where he was. Ever so tentatively, he stretched out a foot The Choice A wealthy man nearing the end of his days summoned his twin sons to his bedside.

Before he died, he told them, he wanted to pass on to them the opportunity to experience the richness of life that he had enjoyed for his many years on earth. But there are three treasures I have had the good fortune to experience in my life, and it is my fondest wish, my dying wish, that you would both have these three treasures.

I have been giving it to you both since you were born, and die in peace knowing that you both already have it in abundance. For some, it never runs out, while for others, it constantly runs out. This gift I give you now, but whether or not you keep it will be up to you.

I have been showing it to you both your entire lives, but cannot say whether or not you have gained it. This gift I cannot give you, but I can give you an opportunity to see it one last time before I die. Do you know what the first gift is? Easy to give, and it never runs out The first gift is love!

The boy was right. They again became quiet with thought. Easy to give, but not always easy to have Is the second gift money? This time both boys remained buried in thought.

Neither could come up with an answer. The father smiled again, a little sadly this time. He lifted a beautiful lacquer box from the bedside table onto his lap, opened it and looked inside. I will no longer be with you, for my life has run its course. On that day, thirty-one days from now, I have instructed my most trusted advisor to execute a document that will bequeath my home, my treasury, my estate—all that I possess—to the good people of this land, who have treated me with kindness all these years.

This place, which has been our home together for these twenty-one years, will become a public trust. I will be well on my way to the next world, and the two of you will set off to make your way in this one.

My last gift to you, on the day of your departure, will be a purse to finance your adventures. One million dollars. In the other hand, he held a shiny new copper penny. However, if you choose the penny, my treasury director has instructions to double the contents of your purse every day.

You each have the same choice to make. Whatever you do not take, I will return to my treasury to add to my estate. Tomorrow morning, come back and tell me your choice. Which should I take? What is the lesson? He had made his decision before his father had finished the sentence. Now he was making careful plans for what to do for the next thirtyone days. When morning came, the second boy sprang into action.

After securing the million in cash from his father, he hired a sharp consultant and a manager to help him execute his carefully wrought plan. They rented out a hotel suite, in which they conducted exhaustive, back-to-back interviews for the next six days. By week three, the best plans had been selected, winnowed, examined, combed, explored, game-theoried, road-tested, computer-simulated and dissected.

Off they went, into the battlefields of commerce and speculation. The boy spent the next few days keeping in close contact with his far-flung financial team by telephone; but by mid-week, it seemed clear that things were well in hand and he was not needed. He decided to pay a visit to his brother, whom he had not seen since breakfast on the morning after that long and sleepless night.

After that excited breakfast, the first boy had also paid a visit to his father, but without explaining why, he announced that he had made the second choice. He had taken the penny, left it in the purse, then returned to his room and began reading from one of his favorite books. The second day, he visited again, and was allowed to peek into the purse: the shiny new penny had been joined by a companion.

On the third day, he found four pennies. On the fourth, there were eight, and on the fifth, sixteen, then thirty-two. By the end of week two—with nearly half the month gone—his piles of pennies had swelled to just shy of ninety dollars Later that week, the wealthy man called his sons to him one more time and spent several hours with them, sharing memories and telling stories.

That night, the old man died peacefully in his sleep. The markets, it seemed, had gone a bit soft. Taken a bit of a tumble, actually. The team had acted quickly and salvaged what they could, but their earlier rosy projections would most certainly need to be revised downward. The boy thanked them for their vigilance, and waited, fretting and anxious. At the close of the week, the team brought mixed news. Some investments had performed quite well, others had suffered.

All in all, the boy had made a modest gain: starting with his one million in cash, his team had succeeded in parleying that into nearly one and a half million. Unfortunately, his expenses, including their commissions, tax, bills for the hotel suite, broker fees and the rest, came to just over half a million.

The boy had ended the month with just a bit less than he started! On day 29, the two-and-a-half million mark. Yesterday, on day 30, it had doubled to more than five million!

A Question Two boys. Two frogs. Two powerful choices. Riches or poverty. Life or death. You are making those same choices, every day, every hour, and the choices you make are spreading out through your life, just like the water hyacinth.

You may not see the results today, or tomorrow, or even next year. In fact, by the time you do finally see the results, the process will probably be so far along that the surface of the pond will be completely covered. The question is, covered with what? When the wealthy man spoke to his sons, the second boy thought he was offering them a choice of which money to take.

But the first boy listened more carefully. He remembered that money was only the second gift. He understood that the choice was not whether to take the penny or the sheaf of bills—the choice was whether or not to take the third gift. The lesson was not about money: it was about wisdom.

It was a lesson about compound interest, leverage, geometric progression and growth. It was a lesson about the Slight Edge. The choice the wealthy man offered his two sons is the same choice the world offers you, every day, every hour: sickness or health; sinking poverty or abundant wealth; deepening loneliness and alienation or a rich and growing circle of friends. It will keep you paddling until your cream becomes butter.

It will give you the power to choose what to plant in your life, so that you will end up completely blanketing the surface of the pond with the blossoms of your choice. One wins, the other does not.

They have all had the exact same opportunity. But the great majority of them, faced with exactly the same opportunities, have gone nowhere. Nor is it timing, nor fate. Actually, it was quite the opposite. In every case, I did the exact same thing every time, using ridiculously simple strategies made up of ridiculously simple lists of ridiculously simple actions. The strategies I used—none of them invented or devised by me, incidentally—are so simple that if you and I sat down together in a room for twenty minutes, I could show you exactly what I did to create four different, separate, independent multimillion-dollar organizations—and teach you how to do the exact same thing.

In twenty minutes. Why not? Because how to do it is not the issue. People everywhere are clamoring for the formula, the secret, the path to improve their lives. Tell me how you did this, so I can do it, too. Give me the definitive plan. Tell me how to be healthy. Tell me how to be rich. Tell me how to be happy. Tell me, tell me, tell me How to do it is not the issue. And most of us are none of those things. We already have enough of those—maybe more than enough.

Because what you need to transform your life is not more information. It may work for me, but it may not be the how-to that works for you. There is a secret that, once you know it, will cause you to find those answers, apply them, live them, and achieve those results you want. The secret ingredient is your philosophy. The secret is to change the way you think. It simply means changing your thinking. Your philosophy. So, what I need is an attitude adjustment Your emotions change.

You feel like doing your twenty minutes on the treadmill. To find the path to success, you have to back up one more step. Your philosophy is what you know, how you hold it, and how it affects what you do. Yes, you have to know the winning how-to actions, and you have to possess the winning attitudes—but what generates all that and keeps it all in place is your philosophy.

A negative philosophy turns into a negative attitude, which turns into negative actions, which turn into negative results, which turn into a negative lifestyle. Life Wisdom What do I mean by philosophy? Not something lofty or abstract; not something you need to go to graduate school or learn Greek to understand. I mean something so simple, so basic, a six-year-old child can understand it.

Here is an example. Do the thing, and you shall have the power. The sort of wisdom you can actually apply in everyday life. There are two prevalent types of attitudes: entitled and value-driven. Your philosophy is what you know, how you hold what you know, and how it affects what you do. Watson, Sr. It had better be an option! Because not only did Babe Ruth set a world record for home runs, he also led the league in strikeouts.

The next two years he grew four inches, honed his game … and the rest, as they say, is history. Abraham Lincoln had an extraordinary record of lost elections and publicoffice failures over the course of his career. For the ungainly lawyer from Illinois, failure was not only an option, it was practically his specialty.

In his efforts to find a stable filament to make his electric light bulb invention work, he tried out thousands of different versions and every single one failed.

The Slight Edge Philosophy Your philosophy is your view of life, something beyond feelings and attitudes. Your philosophy drives your attitudes and feelings, which drive your actions. By and large, people are looking in the wrong places. They happen through the Slight Edge. The purpose of this book is to have you understand the Slight Edge philosophy, to make it part of how you see the world and how you live your life every day. To understand patience; to understand that little steps, compounded, do make a difference.

That they not only make a difference—they make all the difference. Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. There is a natural progression to everything in life: plant, cultivate, harvest.

Then go back regularly and read through just those highlighted sections: your own personal guide to the Slight Edge philosophy. The Slight Edge is also the philosophy embodied in the three stories you read in the beginning of this book. It is understanding the tremendous potential of something as seemingly insignificant as a penny. It is knowing how to recognize and harness the power of the water hyacinth.

Just Add Life and Stir The Slight Edge will help you apply all the information you learn from the health book, the sales book, the investment book, the positive attitude book. The Slight Edge is the book you need to read, highlight and reread along with your fitness class, your career planning, your continuing education and pursuit of new skills.

The Slight Edge will prepare you to be able to absorb all that other information, guidance and education from all those other books, classes, situations and experiences. Whatever your deepest desires are in life, I want you to have them, and I know you can. But you need a place to start. The Slight Edge is that starting point. Key Points of Chapter 1 People everywhere are clamoring for the formula, the secret ingredient, the path to improve their lives.

The secret ingredient is your philosophy: what you know, how you hold it and how it affects what you do. They not only make a difference—they make all the difference. Apply the Slight Edge Principles and Stir! I have used the principles of the Slight Edge to improve my physical fitness, starting with one push-up and one sit-up a day, adding another each day and building to over per day.

Chunking every project into annual goals, monthly outcomes, weekly agendas and daily disciplines has helped me accomplish massive improvements in every area of life from health to relationships, to communication skills, to finances. By identifying the daily disciplines in every area of life, I was able to move from cancer to outstanding health; from non-communication with siblings to best friends; from struggling as a single mom to creating a net worth of over 1 million dollars!

The Slight Edge principles, compounded over time, will make a massive shift in any area we choose. He tells his own story — about how he went from failure to success to another failure, and how he slowly learned that failure and success both happen for the same reason, and that this one single reason can either work for or against you, depending on how you use it.

The reader is motivated by reading on because they would like to know more about the idea that people have complete control about the direction their life is taking. It allows you to have the essential ideas of a big book in less than 30 minutes. By reading this summary, you will discover a way of looking at the daily choices that will bring you success and happiness. You will also discover : that success doesn't come from where you think; the secret to leading your life well; how to act efficiently and intelligently; how to be happier; how to no longer be afraid to fail.

Jeff Olson has never been good at anything, by his own admission. With a fierce desire to succeed, he tried everything to succeed, but the results were more than mixed. He has done many "odd jobs", failed and passed his studies, held and then lost important positions in companies and founded successful companies only to lose them later.

He still managed to stay on the path to professional and personal success without ever failing again. It is not just another self-help motivation tool of methods you must learn in order to travel the path to success. In this 8th anniversary edition you will read not only the life-changing concepts of the original book, but also learn what author Jeff Olson discovered as he continued along the slight edge path: the Secret to Happiness and the Ripple Effect. This edition of "The Slight Edge" is not just the story, but also how the story continues to create life-altering dynamics -- how a way of thinking, a way of processing information, can impact daily choices that will lead you to the success and happiness you desire.

This book is the key that will make all the other how-to books and self-help information that you read, watch and hear actually work. He tells his own story - about how he went from failure to success to another failure, and how he slowly learned that failure and success both happen for the same reason, and that this one single reason can either work for or against you, depending on how you use it.

Although good fortune can appear to manifest overnight, success is usually the result of years spent consistently making the right choices Purchase this in-depth summary to learn more. By applying the principles of The Slight Edge, ive lost 35 pounds in just three months, and am still going strong. As a result, my life is going SO much better than it ever has!

This is a very simple, easy-to-follow book that can lead anyone from where they are to whatever level of success they want to achieve. Over the course of the last year, by putting the Slight Edge concepts in practice, i have stopped using tobacco, and lost 25 pounds through diet and exercise.

Following the principles outlined in Jeff Olsons The Slight Edge has helped me become a millionaireseveral times over. Thanks for refining the processes into an understandable and workable format, Jeff.

The Slight Edge principles apply to everything. My wife and i have used it to improve our health and now we have lost over pounds combined!

I led a life of errors in judgment until I came across this magnificent book. A blueprint for life can be founded on the Slight Edge philosophy. My son noticed a huge change in my character and life perception. See Full Reader. Post on Nov 8. Category: Documents 65 download. Tags: orthe slight edge slight edgeas edge theslightjeff olson wealth success progress i pressure i important success principles personaldevelopment. Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager and Lead with LUV This fast-moving book teaches you one of the most powerful, practical and important success principles ever discovered.

Mike Bishop, Wilsonville, OR The Slight Edge is a way of thinking, a way of processing information that enables you to make the daily choices that will lead you to the success you desire. Over the past twenty years, Jeff has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals achieve better levels of financial freedom and personal excellence.

Jimmy Williams, Austin, TX A unique view on how small changes or actions done repeatedly can change your personal, family and business life.

Pierre Rattini, North Myrtle Beach, SC I had read self-help books before and they did very little for me, so at first I didnt think this book would be much different. Michael Clouse, Seattle, WA This book is a treasure and i use it in every aspect of my lifebusiness, personal, and fun! Jane Lehman, Lexington, MI i use this philosophy throughout my day. Pedro Garcia, Middletown, NY i, like many people, get frustrated when i do not see quick results.

Christopher Mangano, Boynton Beach, FL I find the book to be one of the best diet books I have ever read, and I have read quite a few of them through the last few years. Julie Jonak, Houston, TX i have read numerous personal-development books through the years, and by far, this is one of the best! Richard Green, Franklin, TN This is a very simple, easy-to-follow book that can lead anyone from where they are to whatever level of success they want to achieve. Alex Serrano, Las Vegas, NV Over the course of the last year, by putting the Slight Edge concepts in practice, i have stopped using tobacco, and lost 25 pounds through diet and exercise.

Bob Sutton, Ft. Simon Ponce, Irvine, CA.