Want to be Successful? Apply the Flywheel Principle
Samuel Cheong
Marketing @ Content Chemistry— b2b marketing agency + HubSpot Partner | Host of The Marketer's Guide Podcast
I started writing daily this week and I was thinking hard about the recipe for success. Not that I was looking for shortcuts, but I knew that there had to be a simple way to quantify what to do in order to be successful.
Most of the stuff written about this tend to agree that the recipe for success is:
Success = Focus + Consistency + Patience
The power of focus, building on your one thing with consistency and having the patience to build it over time will eventually yield success.
Success isn’t hard. Yet, look at all the videos and articles published by ‘gurus’ who try to teach you the fast track way to success. What they may not reveal to you is that you still have to put in the work.
The Principle of the Flywheel
Most recently, I came across the flywheel concept through Youtuber and Doctor, Ali Abdaal and originally from Jim Collins in his seminal work, Good to Great.
Basically, a flywheel is a giant wheel that is hard to get moving. You push but don’t see much changes. Over time, as your effort turns the wheel, it spins faster even as your effort remains the same. It compounds your investment of effort.
What we can learn from the flywheel:
- There is no one single defining act or event that makes it. The wheel spins fast because of all the effort what was put in before.
- You have to keep pushing and applying momentum in the same direction. Keep building on your past efforts. Don’t change direction even if you don’t see results.
- Every effort and push is compounded. Consistency over time yields results.
- Success is usually delayed. What you usually see as ‘instant success’ is the result of months and years of effort put in.
You can apply this principle in life
Health and fitness …
Going to the gym regularly and eating healthy won’t show you immediate results BUT with consistency and time it will yield a healthy life.
Finance …
Compound interest is probably the single best way to grow your wealth. Don’t underestimate how much a small amount saved each month can do.
Business …
Do you want to be a business owner? Ask any one of them and they will tell you it’s a lot of hard work upfront with not much return on investment. Don’t be fooled by revenue, it is actual profit that counts.
“Anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly” - GK Chestorton
….. until you can do it well.
It takes time, consistency and patience to build something that is worthwhile. Keep on creating, making and building momentum towards your goals.
How are you pushing your flywheel today?