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"We are what we repeatedly do."

I was thinking of this again this week. I understand that Aristotle was the originator of that statement. But it probably doesn’t matter as much as the impact the principle has every day.

A recent development on this concept by Jeff Olson really drives it home in a practical way. His book "The Slight Edge" joined my list of must-read titles, and talks about the power of repeated things at length. (See the Resources That Work section of this web site for book info: www.squidoo.com/wellnessthatworks).

Olson, and others, use the law of compounding, or the rule of 72, as one familiar example of this principle at work. In fact, many, many authors echo Albert Einstein’s reference to the law of compounding as the "8th wonder of the world."

Back in high school math days, I recall an instructor telling a story of a wise man in a Middle East kingdom long ago who was offered his choice of reward by the head of the kingdom, after winning a contest. His seemingly backward choice: to have one grain of wheat placed on the first square of a chessboard, then have that doubled the next day on the next square, and doubled again on the next, and so on, until the squares were all accounted for. The leader was delighted with what seemed like a pitiful request, when the wise man could have requested wagonloads of gold or other riches. The leader was, of course, dismayed after several days when all the grain in the kingdom was exhausted before the chessboard was even close to being filled. (Here’s another retelling of that legend:  muslim-investor.com/mi/chess-grain.phtml)

So, we are, indeed, a product of what we repeatedly do. And, if we’re not diligent and aware, we can become subject to the incredibly small things that escape our notice, but are happening over and over and over. What makes up your choices every day?