If you are like me, you like to start the new year with a fresh perspective. Oftentimes, the best way to find this new perspective is to challenge myself physically.
I joined Michael Easter’s 2% Manifesto Group on Substack this year. This community shares the philosophy that we can achieve more than we think, starting with small steps.
It’s a fact that only 2% of us are willing to do the more challenging thing when an easier option exists. That’s the heart of the 2% Manifesto: choosing to do the harder thing.
It’s a simple yet powerful philosophy similar to the pitching guru Ron Wolforth’s philosophy. He advises his athletes to aim for just 1% improvement in their daily training. Improvement is not limited to athletes or specific fields. It’s a principle that anyone can apply in their lives-striving to get 1% better every day.
The 2% Manifesto is not all that different from James Clear’s observations in his best-selling book, Atomic Habits, which discusses “micro” changes. Little changes over time can end up producing significant results.
The 2% Manifesto differs slightly in that it encourages you to seek out the more challenging way to do the little things you already do for more powerful results. For instance, take the stairs occasionally if you take the elevator daily. Park two spots away from where you usually park to make your walk to your cubicle longer.
The one lesson that I learned from joining the 2% Manifesto Group as my new year physical challenge is that it’s not necessarily about taking the stairs instead of the elevator; it’s about being aware throughout your day-to-day existence of all the little opportunities that exist that can:
- make you a little bit healthier,
- help you do your job a little bit better,
- and make yourself a little bit stronger.
Easter reaffirmed my belief that many others have backed up over time: the smallest choices make the most significant impacts.
I’m all in on the 2% Manifesto this year and taking the stairs more often. Cheers!
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P.S. I’m reading Michael Easter’s two books, Scarcity Brain and The Comfort Crisis, which may be the survival guides we will all need to navigate 2025. You should check them out. Easter has a ton of great stories to share.
