The Power of Self-Reflection and the 1% Compounding Effect

Riding Through Life on Two Wheels

I think about that quote a lot—especially when I’m on my motorcycle, cutting through the morning air, the world waking up around me.

Maybe it's the hum of the engine beneath me, the wind hitting my face, or the hyper-awareness that comes from knowing one mistake could be my last.

But there’s something about being on a bike that forces clarity.

From that clarity, I do know this:

The little things I started doing 30, 40 years ago have had an immeasurable impact on my life.

A life that people around me envy.

They look at where I am now—retired early, financially free, training in martial arts, traveling the world with my wife—and they tell me how lucky I am.

And they’re right.

But what they don’t see—the part no one ever sees—is how this life wasn’t built by some grand stroke of luck or a single moment of brilliance.

It was built by small, consistent actions.

They think they need to make big moves to win in life.

They believe they need to hit it big, be the top dog, make a name for themselves in one defining moment.

I’m living proof that you can "not win" your way to the top.

Let me explain.

The 1% Compounding Effect in Action

Back in 1988, when I was just starting out in construction, I bought my first motorcycle.​

At the time, I had two reasons:

1. I was young, and riding a bike was cool.
2. I lived in California, where the traffic is legendary for all the wrong reasons. A motorcycle meant I could slice through traffic like a knife through butter.

It seemed like a small decision at the time.

A personal preference.

But looking back, that one choice altered the trajectory of my life in ways I couldn’t have predicted.

• Riding a motorcycle saved me time.
• Riding a motorcycle saved me money.
• Riding a motorcycle saved me energy.

And that is where the 1% Compounding Effect comes in.

The Math of 1% Growth

Most people think success happens in one big moment.

That’s not how it works. Success is built gradually—by small, consistent actions that compound over time.

Here’s the simplest way to think about it:

If you improve by just 1% every day, you don’t just get 365% better in a year.

You get 3,800% better.

Why?

Because growth compounds.

It multiplies.

James Clear, in Atomic Habits, breaks it down like this:

• If you get 1% better each day, you’ll be 37 times better after a year.
• If you get 1% worse each day, you’ll slowly decay until you hit rock bottom.

Now, imagine applying that not just for a year, but for a decade or more.

That’s what happened with my motorcycle.

At first, it was just about cutting through traffic.

But over time, I started realizing the deeper benefits:

• I had more time. I wasn’t spending hours stuck in gridlock like my coworkers. That extra time? It went into things that mattered—martial arts, reading, journaling, investing, and building relationships.
• I had less stress. Sitting in traffic drains the soul. Avoiding it gave me energy and mental clarity that others lacked.
• I saved money. Lower gas costs, lower maintenance, and fewer unnecessary expenses added up. Over 30+ years, that money wasn’t just saved—it was invested.
• I became more present. On a bike, you don’t have the illusion of safety that a car gives you. You’re hyper-aware, engaged, alive. That awareness translated into other areas of life—relationships, business, training.

All of this—these small daily gains—added up.

Over time, they compounded into the life I have now.

The Habits That Shape You

John Dryden’s quote hits hard because it’s true:

We first make our habits, then our habits make us.

But most people don’t realize which habits are shaping them.

It’s easy to look at the big wins—getting promoted, making a lot of money, achieving a black belt—but those things aren’t the cause of success.

The real cause?

The small daily decisions that no one else sees.

Here’s how this applies to you:

• If you spend every day scrolling social media, binge-watching Netflix, and avoiding hard work, those habits are making you.
• If you show up every day, even when it’s hard, and put in just a little work, those habits are making you.

The problem is, most guys only reflect on their lives when things go wrong.

• When they lose a job.
• When a relationship ends.
• When they hit rock bottom.

That’s too late.

Self-reflection isn’t something you do only when life falls apart—it’s something you do to make sure life doesn’t fall apart.

The Power of Self-Reflection

Most people live their lives like they’re stuck in traffic.

They just follow the car in front of them, going where everyone else is going, never questioning if it’s the right path.

Self-reflection is what gets you off that path.

It’s the thing that allows you to:

• Recognize patterns in your life.
• See what’s working and double down.
• Cut out what’s holding you back.
• Course-correct before you crash.

For me, self-reflection came naturally on the bike.

It became a weekly ritual—a time where I could check in with myself.

I started by asking myself questions:

• Where am I?
• How did I get here?
• Where do I want to go?

And because I did this consistently—not just once in a while—I was able to adjust early instead of waking up one day wondering where the hell my life went.

Putting It On the Mat

Riding a motorcycle is dangerous.

You don’t have airbags.

You don’t have a steel frame protecting you.

You have you.

So every single time I got on my bike, I asked myself:

If the answer was no, I didn’t ride.

Simple as that.

If the answer was yes, I was all in.

That’s extreme ownership—not just in theory, but in practice.

And that’s what you need to apply to your life.

So here’s what I challenge you to do:

1. Pick one area of your life—career, relationships, fitness, whatever.
2. Reflect: What’s working? What’s not?
3. Commit to a 1% improvement every day.

No massive overhauls.

No dramatic reinventions.

Just 1% better every day.

You won’t see results overnight.

But you will see them.

And one day—years from now—someone’s going to look at your life and call you lucky.

Let them.

Because you’ll know the truth.

Now, go put it on the mat.

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P.S. To change your life, you need to manage your time. That is the one thing we all have in common, 24 hours a day, and what we choose to do with that time.

Learn how with Control Your Time, Control Your Life​

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