The Game of Inches and the Life Worth Living

I love the movie Any Given Sunday and particularly the scene in that movie toward the end where “Coach Tony” gives a riveting and inspiring speech about the value of inches:

“Life is a game of inches. And the margin for error is so small. One half step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow or too fast and you don’t quite catch it….These inches we need are everywhere around us…We fight for that inch. And when you add up all those inches, it’s the difference between winning or losing, between living and dying. Fighting for those inches, that’s what life is.”[i]

The movie was about more than football. It was also about life in general – the life worth living.

In a different context—cycling—think about the difference that a mere 1% can make to an outcome. That was the basis of an approach to preparing for the Tour de France the British cycling team took a few years ago. This is how blogger James Clear described the training methods of Team Sky under Dave Brailsford:

They started by optimizing the things you might expect: the nutrition of riders, their weekly training program, the ergonomics of the bike seat, and the weight of the tires.

But Brailsford and his team didn't stop there. They searched for 1 percent improvements in tiny areas that were overlooked by almost everyone else: discovering the pillow that offered the best sleep and taking it with them to hotels, testing for the most effective type of massage gel, and teaching riders the best way to wash their hands to avoid infection. They searched for 1 percent improvements everywhere.[ii]

Coach Brailsford believed that if they kept scouring all the different ways Team Sky could improve their performance by 1% that the team might be able to win the Tour in five years’ time. As it turned out, they won it in year three. And again in year four.

1% can certainly make a big difference. We take notice when 1% makes the difference in a tight game or contest. A basketball game includes somewhere between 70-and-100 shots and yet how often does the game come down to the last few shots? A professional football game averages between 120-and-140 plays, and as we all just saw in Arizona the championship was decided by that last breathtaking 1% of the game. And of course, fifteen years ago, out of 100 million votes Americans cast for President, the difference turned on less than 1% of the votes cast.

1% more can also inspire us to do great things. I sometimes use that movie clip of “Coach Tony” or the real life example of Coach Brailsford in leadership discussions with my team to drive home the value of execution with excellence, of caring about the details (those inches and the 1%), and the importance of having real passion for getting the very most out of what you chose to spend your time—and therefore your life—doing.

With America Saves Week upon us, I thought these examples of the value of 1% more and those inches might help underscore a different point:

That 1% over time could help you live the life of your dreams.

For instance, let’s say you’re in your early twenties beginning to save in your workplace plan or IRA. That’s a smart move. Imagine, however, you save a bit more simply by skipping a single restaurant lunch a month and reallocate that money—call it $35—to your retirement account.

Assuming you took advantage of some financial guidance and directed those dollars into a growth-oriented portfolio of investments, by the time you’re 67 that $35 “meal” of savings results in nearly $4,000 a year. That’s comes to $100,000 over 25 years in retirement.[iii]

The compound value of money over time is a boring but important concept – and it’s the idea behind the “1% More” campaign we at Fidelity launched as part of America Saves Week. I already mentioned bringing lunch to work once a week – that would allow you to eat dinner at a five-star restaurant one evening a week in retirement. Would you be willing to give up going to the movies one night a month if it meant you could pay for cable every month in retirement? Or would you skip out on buying that handbag now if it meant you could travel to Paris in retirement? There are so many simple trade-offs we can make that can help us put our money to work for us.

The key is seeking a 1% improvement now, one that builds over time and ends up making the huge difference that “Coach Tony” and Coach Brailsford both articulated. Whether it’s building a nest egg or advancing at work, long-term success is rarely determined by the last 1% push you give yourself at the end. It's almost always about the extra miles you put in along the way. At the end of the day, it’s the small steps we take that help us set—and reset—the bar for success. When you continually focus on the next little step you can take … and the next … and the next … that’s when big things become possible.

[i] Any Given Sunday, Warner Bros., copyright 1999

[ii] https://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains

[iii] Hypothetical examples assume that the individual saves $35 per month from age 21 until retirement age 67, and lives through age 93. Assumed rate of return is 7.0% and consists of 4.5% real return and 2.5% inflation. Estimated increases in retirement income are in constant 2015 dollars. It is assumed that upon retirement the real (inflation-adjusted) dollar amount is withdrawn annually through age 93 and that the person took no early loans or withdrawals. All dollars shown are pretax dollars. Upon distribution, applicable federal, state, and local taxes are due. No federal, state, or local taxes; or account fees or expenses were considered. If they were, returns and monthly increases would be lower.

Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss.

Views expressed are as of February 25, 2015. Unless otherwise noted, the opinions provided are those of the author and not necessarily those of Fidelity Investments.

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