The compounding effects of today

This Week’s Winner

James M. Fajarito, 35, heads the Languages Area of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (Intramuros, Manila). He handles English and Literature subjects. He also writes for the Letran News, the official publication of the institution. A native of Gloria, Oriental Mindoro, he finished his master’s in education, major in English literature, at the Divine Word College of Calapan (Calapan City).

I’m a sucker for self-help books. Beginning with Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking, I became addicted to motivational books. My personal library boasts titles, such as Be Happy, Success Through Positive Mental Attitude, and Think and Grow Rich. I even have motivational books for specific topics: Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul and How to Develop Confidence in Public Speaking. Lately, I have added relatively new titles to my list: Your Best Life Now and The Success Principles.

I must have learned a thing or two about persistence, positive thinking, patience, determination, and confidence from every book I read. But looking back, I remember how I was hit by the stories in Peale’s book, the promises of Carnegie’s and the wacky yet practical wisdom of Be Happy.

Having been a sort of an expert on self-help books, I oftentimes encounter a feeling of been-there-done-that while reading a new motivational book. I find many books repeating the same gospel, with some doing the repetition badly.

That’s why it came as a welcome surprise when, in one of my bookstore sojourns, I stumbled upon a John Maxwell book on sale. I’ve been a fan of Maxwell for years, having followed his newspaper columns. It was my chance to own a John Maxwell book for the first time, so I immediately grabbed the opportunity. And buying Today Matters proved to be a very good decision.

To this day, it boggles my mind that I just bought the book for P150. That’s a little price to pay for a valuable book. Why, you can buy forgettable books double that price!

Why do I like this book?

For years, I’d been hearing the encouragement to “seize the day,” but it didn’t really strike me until I read Today Matters. In the book, Maxwell explains how each day has a compounding effect on our future. Now, that got my attention. Maybe because he was wise enough to use the word “compounding,” a financial term that refers to the growing interests earned by one’s sustainable act of saving or investing. I know very well how compounding works, having been actively engaged in time deposits for years. How I wish I had known earlier about the real-life effects of compounding!

All books tell you to savor the present because it’s all we’ve got. This book goes the extra mile, elaborating how the underrated today increases the chances for a happy tomorrow.

The strategy to guarantee a person’s success in the future is to invest in today. According to Maxwell, it’s not enough to simply hope that tomorrow will be better. One must work for it day by day since the secret to success is determined by one’s daily agenda. As he emphasized, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.”

Maxwell outlines 12 daily practices that will ensure tomorrow’s success. His daily dozen: attitude, priorities, health, family, thinking, commitment, finances, faith, relationships, generosity, values and growth. Now, that is a long list that Maxwell admits could be way too many to add to one’s already kilometric to-do list.

Nevertheless, the point of the list is that these are 12 major decisions THAT will impact one’s future. Maxwell recommends that these 12 issues be settled for their lifelong effects. And they don’t have to be decided upon once and for all. One has to deal with each item one at a time. In Maxwell’s case, it took him four decades to decide on all 12.

Another factor that has endeared the book to me is the presence of witty quotations and touching stories. Many self-help books just elaborate key concepts and that’s it. It’s like reading the lecture handout given by a boring professor. I think this is one reason for the success of Maxwell’s books. The documented experiences and striking quotations spring from the author’s lifetime habit as a compulsive filer. He is a collector of quotes and tales, which he ultimately uses in his books, columns and speeches.

Many books are just too idealistic one wonders if the author actually walks his talk. But in Today Matters, Maxwell is realistic: He admits applying all the principles could be daunting and even confesses that he struggles to apply one (health).

Lest the uninitiated will misinterpret, the book is not about all work. Maxwell advocates for a balanced lifestyle. And leisure is part of that. He just stresses the old-school maxim that delaying gratification still counts and, whether we are working now or later, whether we are persevering or not, we always pay the price. If we work hard, the price is hard work. If we don’t, the price could be regret for not trying hard enough and enjoying the fruits or reward of hard labor. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who has wasted his talents (like the poor fellow of a parable).

The book is a checklist for me. Since reading the book, I have identified the decisions I have made and the areas I still need to improve. Through self-examination, I discovered that I had already settled seven of the 12 issues. I’m now painstakingly working on the remaining five — one at a time.

It’s not easy. Maintaining my health, for instance, is a daily struggle. It’s not every day that I’m in the mood to exercise. In addition, it’s tempting to indulge once in a while in my favorite McDonald’s cheeseburger.

There are times also when my faith is being tested. There are days when I think God is simply not there. It’s a good thing I had turning-point experiences in the past when I was sure I could have blown something off were it not for God’s help. Indeed, spiritual experiences make me remember how God works.

Modesty aside, I have had relative successes in my life, but I think I can go the distance by conquering myself via the settling of five remaining issues to ensure the realization of greater successes.

Since acquiring this Maxwell book, I have come to appreciate the present more. I have realized the value of today. Now, I take the now seriously because only be valuing it can I increase my chances of attaining the much sought-after yet oftentimes elusive success.

With this valuable book, I have a guide so as not to go astray in realizing my dreams. It continually admonishes me to be pro-active in my approach to life — accomplishing more but not forgetting the essentials like relationships, health and faith in God.