The Law Of Compounding Rewards: Unlock The Long-Term Benefits

Cultivate health, wealth, and well-being more effectively.

Behave differently than 99% of humans.

Learn one of the rules of the universe.

Overcome short-sightedness.

If there's one reason I love my city, it's illustrated by this photo.

This is my inner circle at my 26th birthday party. We're all practicing frowning.

I built this network over years and years of organizing wacky events and networking at less wacky events. I've invested time and energy into every human in this photo. I have gotten to know them. And my loyalty to these humans has made me feel a greater sense of relaxation, joy, and trust when I am with them.

My long-term investment in these relationships has enabled me to access even greater benefits from them.

A lot of things in life are like this.

Behaviors repeated over time have compounding rewards.

Or put differently.

The largest proportion of the benefits of a behavior is unlocked after the behavior is repeated for a long time.

Let me make this tangible for you.

You make the most money in business once you've established a brand and reputation.

You develop the most functional strength and flexibility after years of physical training.

You have the most fun in marriage after handling the initial conflicts and tensions.

You develop a sense of belonging in your city after building community for a long-time.

You gain the most job satisfaction after getting good at what you do and developing personal relationships with your colleagues.

As a biosocial hacker, what intrigues me the most is the compound rewards of loyal relationships. Our friendships, partnerships, and community memberships are especially subject to the law.

We live in a world characterized by very high geographic mobility. People move around a lot. And what this does to our relationships? Well, we don't access the compounding rewards, because we're constantly on the move, seeking a better place.

When you are constantly on the move, you do not access the compounding rewards of personal relationships.

The inspiration for this article was my own geographic mobility. I've been on the move for 8 months. It's been exhilarating and serving for me. But, what I've learn is that the WHO matters more than the WHERE and WHAT. It is this realization that is motivating me to return home and set down roots. I want to access the compounding rewards!

So aside from staying in one place and committing to long-term behaviors, what can you do to unlock compounding rewards?

Develop a capacity for focused, repeated action.

To do this requires self-work. There are three great psychological barriers you must overcome if you want to develop this capacity.

1. Shiny object syndrome (distractibility).

Any consistent action is undermined by a world filled with distractions: digital crack (TikTok + IG), endless new job opportunities, online dating, travel content, fake friends. You get the idea. Distractions are the enemy of focused, consistent effort.

Your time investment in an activity is the predictor of the compound rewards. Distractions reduce your time investment in what matters. Distractions dilute it. Distractions scatter your focus.

How does a 10W laser cut through a sheet of steel? Focus.

When you follow a life compass based on quality over quantity, then your time investment in certain activities and people increases. With a greater time investment, you can access the compounding rewards. In one sentence, how do you develop this compass? Surround yourself with people who have it already. And practice mindfulness throughout the day.

2. Grass-is-always-greener syndrome (comparison).

In this age, you're inundated with options for your life. And these options might be better for you. The act of comparing your current situation to an alternative situation can induce quitting and perpetual upgrading. The act of comparison is driven by cognition (thoughts) and digital media (fake representations of the lives of others').

At the root of this syndrome is the thought "over there is better than right here." But without being entirely immersed in the new situation, it's easy to overestimate how much better it is.

What typically happens is you explore the new situation and it's exciting. The novelty effect. But eventually, this excitement diminishes and you get trapped by the same thought loop. "There's a better place I need to be." It is this thought loop that undermines consistent action and investment in your current situation.

Being committed to your current situation enables you to unlock the compounding rewards therein.

By understanding my own bias for novel situations, I slow down my decision making if I am considering quitting. It's indeed true that moving to Guatemala may improve my life drastically, but it's worth thinking about. When I am considering upgrading my situation or quitting, it's a conscious, slow process.

To overcome comparing my life to others, I don't consume digital media.

3. Discomfort intolerance (pain avoidance).

You're most likely to abandon your current situation when there is discomfort. And this is what most humans do. When the going gets tough, they abandon ship. They give in to distractions or abandon their situation entirely. When you have a high discomfort tolerance, you are able to navigate the waves. The dips. The setbacks. And you can steady your course. One crashing wave after the next.

When you can steady your course through the adversities and turbulence of life (which is life, undeniably), you can keep consistent even during dips in motivation. You can maintain long-term repeated action. And it is this ability that generates compound rewards.

To train my discomfort tolerance, I have partaken in silent meditation retreats, solitary darkness intensives, and ice-bathing. Now, when I am faced with discomfort, I chuckle to myself "Another opportunity to prove to myself what I care about."

Recommendations based on this logic

1. Reduce distractions as much as possible. Turn off your notifications, reduce the number of communication channels you monitor, and quit TikTok and Instagram.
2. Stay in your situation for a little longer instead of quitting prematurely.
3. Develop your discomfort tolerance by practicing regular ice-bathing, extreme heat immersion, and psychedelic journeying.
4. Catch yourself saying "I need to be somewhere else." Use this thought as a cue to invest more into your situation.
5. Give friends a second chance before disowning them.

Comment your own recommendations below!

Final Recommendation

Use your phone as little as possible. Your phone is the single greatest factor in your distractibility and tendency for comparison.

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Could you do me a 10 second favor before you leave??If you're feeling thankful, could you like or comment this article? What wisdom do you have to share with other readers? We'd love to hear your additions.

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ps—I help innovative conference, event, & party planners unite and exhilarate their audience by applying the science of human connection. Do you know any who'd want to consult the?professional party crasher ?

Thanks for spreading healthier human connections ??

— Jacques The Party Scientist, BSc. Pharmacology

The Biosocial Hacking Movement ?is about helping humans facilitate healthier human connections in their lives, teams, and communities — so that we can together combat the rise of loneliness and depression in the age of technology.