3 actions to get rid of The Slight Edge.
Tags: motivation, career, devjournal, productivity
Published: 2022-01-24 11:06:20

_Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 30 seconds. Contains 996 words._

The sharp edge principle answers questions such as how we can reach our goals, where we go wrong, what principles we need to have to be successful. I'm sure it will have a life-changing effect when applied, the point is to apply it.

## 1) Repetitive Operation


![Repetitive Operation](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/u01dvqhka65u33ihawk7.jpeg)

According to U.S News & World Report, 80% of resolutions for the new year-end in failure by the second week of February. When we fail, we may feel like we're not pushing enough or just lacking passion. The truth is a **success**; It is formed by the **continuous repetition** of simple and efficient actions over time. This is known as **the sharp edge.**

The key message to reach the sharp edge is to develop our philosophy of life and **master monotonous/routine tasks.** When we think of successful people, we may believe that they have special talents that we do not have, that they are amazing, but that is often not the point.

**Thomas J. Watson,** the founder of IBM, explained the formula for success as; 

> _"Double your failures"._ 

Most of us do not see failure as an option. But what we don't understand is that the more we fail, the better our chances of succeeding.

Today, Abraham Lincoln is remembered as one of America's greatest presidents, but his career has been filled with unsuccessful election results.

Only **5% of people** achieve a significant portion of their life goals. So if being successful is all about doing simple things consistently, what's keeping the **other 95%** of people from following?

Simply put, the 5% understand **the power of the sharp edge** and it works in their life. The other 95% do not. _Monotonous things are very easy to do but not as easy as not doing them._

## 2) Lifelong Learning

![Lifelong Learning](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/km6kj4yxrlxfaausjvpt.jpeg)


Making good choices will lead you to success, but it may not keep you there. Protecting it is all about using it to your advantage for every sharp edge in your lifetime.

Reading a **10-page** educational and inspiring book every day can wonderfully enrich your life. It allows you to read **300 pages** of books every month. You can watch life-changing 15 minutes of videos every day. Or you can take a course or seminar every few months.

When you learn something new, you need to add it to your practice. **Confucius**;

 

> _“Knowledge without action is useless, action without knowledge is dangerous.”_

To do these, you must know the **conscious and unconscious mental functioning.** The conscious mind is very powerful but can focus on one thing at a time and is easily distracted. On the other hand, almost all our mental activities are unconscious. We do **99%** of what we do **on autopilot.**

For example, have you ever driven or walked on a familiar road when your mind was fully occupied? We all do this.

There is a need to train the conscious mind to make good choices. You use your conscious brain to determine a routine you want to adopt. You have to do it over and over until it gets into your subconscious and becomes automatic.

## 3) Make Dreams Come True

![Make Dreams Come True](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1k6brcw57vsi0vu3oxig.jpeg)

We all have dreams, unfortunately very few of them come true because we don't know **how to follow them.** But there is a tried and tested formula that works, and it's pretty easy. The **first step** of the formula is to make your dreams come true. To do this effectively, we need to use our senses. That is, putting our dreams into words or creating a Dream Board out of pictures. Even better, we can talk to someone else about them.

There are three steps to making our dreams come true, **write them down,** review them daily, and develop a plan. If your dream is to be financially free, try to identify the amount of savings you will need to achieve that freedom. Or if you want to be healthy, describe the activities you should participate in and how you will feel.

Making our goals specific and vivid will **bring them one step closer to living.** According to **Napoleon Hill;**

> _"A goal is a dream that has time"._ 

So include the dates when writing your dreams. This is important because **80% of everything we do** tends to be done in the last **20% of our current time.**

Our dreams may never come true if we don't **set a deadline.** Writing down your dream means you can read it every day, reminding yourself what your goal is. You focus more on what you want to achieve, rather than straying off course.

The more we assimilate our vision, the more they become embedded in our subconscious mind. Later on, we become more prone to seizing opportunities that help us achieve our dreams. It also becomes easier to reject distractions that can divert us from the path to success. This then paves the way for developing a plan. It's just the steps that get us started. Remember the words of **Ralph Waldo Emerson:** 

> _"Do the work and you will have the power"_

## Conclusion!

Time can be your good friend or worse enemy. If you follow simple, positive, productive monotonous habits every day, success will come by itself. Another important piece of advice is to surround yourself with successful people.

> _“You are the average of the 5 people you talk to most often.”_

_If you like the article, do not forget to follow for future articles.You can also share it with your friends who you think will like it.Please feel free to comment!_