Life is exponential not linear

I always find it fun to reflect back on my younger days and compare my thought process then and now. The things that were once insurmountable are usually much more trivial at this point in life. This is usually true in most of life as we conquer more in life.

The 3 mile run that once was a struggle is your minimum.

That job title that were once held by people so high up you couldn’t see yourself in is now your job title.

That dollar amount that you once thought was a lot of money is now sitting in your account.

Most of this is obvious as you grow as an individual and with more time have the ability to improve. Most people know they improve with time, but few understand that growth is exponential, not linear. It’s our natural instinct to think things in life are linear. One step at a time to get you one step ahead… not really though.

You run your first mile. Next time maybe you can run a little more than a mile. In reality, your next run may be a little more than a mile at a faster time.

You work hard at a job for a couple years and you get promoted. In reality, you can take steps to accelerate growth such as learning new skills or taking a job at a riskier company.

You save a dollar, your bank account grows a dollar. In reality, you save a dollar, your bank account grows a dollar, and you earn interest on that new dollar.

Life compound interest, the more time you spend developing yourself and your skills, the higher the return down the road in life.