The Compounding Life Principle
1% better every day.
I began working out before the sun came up in December of 2012. I was a 175 pound offensive lineman who could barely get 135 off my chest. I had no compound muscle and an extreme dearth of a mean streak- not exactly ideal for playing the hardest and toughest position in football. In addition, I was extremely insecure about, well, everything- my looks, my strength, my ability on the football field, my grades, what my parents thought of me. I needed something reliable, something I could count on to at least give me some sort of validation that I was at least valuable for something and had some purpose.
I found that on a Monday morning in December of 2012. My freshman football season was now long over. The varsity football season had ended a few weeks prior. My high school football coach, even then recognized as one of the best in the state of Ohio, the premier football state in the country, had a problem. Even though his players played hard, his coaches were driven and intelligent, and their game plans were both adaptable and foundationally strong, they still had a massive problem, one that was preventing them from achieving their goals as a team:
They were outgunned.
The first time my coach recognized this was a few years earlier when his scrappy, suburban team from 20 minutes outside of Cleveland somehow- against all odds- made it to the state championship game. No one expected them to make it. But they did. However, once they were there, they were immediately outclassed. Not from a point of drive, intelligence, or schematics, as mentioned. But from a point of sheer dominance, size, speed, strength, they could not compete. They got pushed around, bullied, and trodden upon. They lost the game, even though they put up a heck of a fight. I was there. I remember.
Afterwards, my coach made a resolution to himself- never again. Immediately, he made a point to have a conversation with two people- his high school athletic director and his strength and conditioning coach. To his AD- give me the ammunition to build what was, at the time, a monster strength and conditioning facility, most notably manifesting in a then-state-of-the-art weight room, particularly for a public school. To his strength and condition (and defensive line) coach- turn yourself loose. Push the team to the brink. Make them hurt so bad they want to quit. Push them far beyond what most 14-18 year olds are ever pushed to. Get me a pack of dogs to compete at the top level of Ohio high school football.
Fast forward a few years, and that program was beginning to round into form. After the first state championship game, the program took effect, to mild results. There was still an aura of complacency on the team. They weren’t bought in. And, looking back on it- why would they be? Why not party like the rockstar, almost-state champions they were? Get in the gym and throw massive weight around four times a week, with speed training two other days and drill-specific training on Sundays? I’ll pass.
This was not the case with me, however. As Bane immortally stated in The Dark Knight Rises, “You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it- molded by it.” I did not know a time before our lifting program. In fact, I didn’t see it as a hindrance at all. Rather, I saw it as an opportunity. I was not a good football player. I had very little coordination, instincts, or skill. The only thing I could do was work hard.
The good thing about lifting weights is that they do not require coordination, instincts, or skill. It only requires hard work. Check. I wasn’t mandated to work out with the varsity team, particularly at that time. However, I had a good relationship with our strength coach. He was my health teacher freshman year, and we liked each other. In addition, I didn’t sign up for an extracurricular class that most of my football teammates did where we learned how to lift weights for a grade- what a time that was. Public education, in a nutshell.
Therefore, there was a simple solution that my coach recommended- come to morning lifting. Lift with the varsity team. Work out with the big dogs. Get ahead of the game. See what success looks like. I was petrified. I was now getting an opportunity to work out with men twice my size, those who could bench three plates on the bar and squat five. Those who I would be, for better or for worse, going up against next fall as they pummeled me into meatloaf on the scout team.
I made an executive decision, along with four of my friends, then and there- better prep now. So, on winter break, my dad drove me up to the high school at 5:00 in the morning in late December of 2012. The temperature was in the teens. Snow was on the ground. When my dad’s truck pulled up to the high school, the only senses outside of the cold and dark were the low yellow lights of the weight room and the subtle pulsing of the EDM music shaking the brick on the outside of the school. I was so nervous I almost puked.
I stepped into our secondary basketball court. Then, and every morning since, we weighed ourselves publicly. 175 pounds wasn’t going to cut it anymore- subtract three pounds for your shoes and clothes. I was given a handbook about what to do for both diet and workouts. Six days a week, minimum- the seventh was “highly-encouraged”. 5,000 calories a day. Peanut butter sandwiches between classes. Double portions at dinner. Two scoops of GNC protein powder, two heaping scoops of peanut butter, and 16 ounces of 2% milk immediately after I was done in the weight room- as a pre-breakfast.
I’ll never forget how I felt that offseason. I set my muscles on fire every morning. The supersets between each compound lift sucked me of all my energy. I dragged myself to class. I was so hot from my flaring metabolism, massive influx of calories, and the temperature of the school that, before class, I would sit in the bathroom with my shirt off drying myself with paper towels hoping I didn’t sweat through my clothes. Never before had I pushed my body to both burn and consume as many calories as I did. No matter how hard I worked, I always had to be in a surplus. 175 wasn’t going to cut it anymore.
It’s been 14 years since I made that decision- half my life. Looking back on it, I can’t name five better decisions I’ve made than stepping into that weight room on a cold, December morning as an insecure 14-year-old with no hopes of anything good happening to me. It has changed my life dramatically, and for the better. It made me more disciplined. It made me more healthy. It made me less stressed. It made me more confident.
That offseason, I put on 20 pounds- some good weight, some bad. My weight has fluctuated up and down since then. I’ve tried multiple different diets and routines. As I write this today, I’m in the best shape of my life- 170 pounds, fluctuating around 10% body fat, and doing more things to live my life well than ever before. It has made me respect myself more, dress better, become more confident in social interactions, and so many other things. It has bled into every part of my life that I love to live.
This is for many reasons, obviously. But one of the largest reasons, by a mile, is that, since December of 2012, I have never gone more than a week without working out before the sun at least once. Most of that time, I haven’t gone more than a DAY without doing so. Circumstances didn’t matter. I did pushups in my room on vacation. I ran up the stairs of my apartment complex during COVID. I’ve jogged through the streets of Italy, cycled in a hotel gym in London, and have thrown weight around with influencers in Atlanta. If I’m breathing, I’m working out- full stop. The ROI has been incalculable. It will propel me through the rest of my life.
I’ve been thinking a ton about consistency recently. Chris Williamson once remarked that there hasn’t been a book, to his knowledge, written on the subject. My plan is to write it. Maybe this will be a part of it- who knows. I agree and disagree with Chris on many things. This may be the principle I agree with the most on. Consistency is unbelievably important. The fact that there hasn’t been a book written on it is a near-criminal offense.
Why? Because, in my opinion, consistency is the only thing that truly separates people from others. It is the skimming of the chaff and wheat from the average to the good, the good to the great, the great to the exceptional. Constant, endless, sickening amounts of consistency. Of doing the little things over and over again until the hurt subsides and they become a part of who you are. Your very essence. Your spirit. Your being.
This is also why, on the opposite side of the spectrum, most don’t achieve anything. The reason why most people don’t achieve their goals isn’t because of a lack of ability. Rather, it’s for a lack of consistency to hone ability. Someone possessing deep enough levels of natural talent to supersede consistency is rare. Therefore, this is a principle that we all must adhere to in order to achieve.
I’m living proof of this. I’m not an exceptional person at all. And yet, I’ve somehow managed to write three books, start a few companies, help other companies scale, close millions in sales, train men, write hundreds of articles, produce hundreds of podcasts, and to network with some of the most influential people in culture. None of this is because of anything inerrant to Sam LaCrosse. All of this is because I simply chose to be consistent with things that I deemed of value. The rest, as it turns out, takes care of itself.
I attribute these achievements to two things, neither of which has anything to do with me. First and foremost, Jesus Christ chose to die on the cross for my sins. Secondly, I had consistency- in some cases, quite literally- beat into my brain. My dad, my high school football coaches, a couple of teachers and mentors, were instrumental in this. When I look back at my life, the only thing I’ve been, and the reason as to why my life is so remarkably blessed, is because I’m consistent. It’s not because I’m good, special, or talented- I’m not. I’m just consistent. I just chose to hang in a second longer, go one more round, do one more rep- daily.
I have dubbed this the Compounding Life Principle. In finance and mathematics, compound interest shows us that if a) we make consistent deposits into an investment and b) start early, you get ahead- by a lot. How? Because it’s about nothing that you do. It’s a natural law of the universe, the very momentum of our world. The secret of a good life is not wanting it all together with your own strength. It’s sowing seeds and trusting God and His ways to water them throughout your life. You can’t grow an oak tree overnight, and neither can you grow a good life.
Now, are big swings sexy? Yes. Do they sometimes work, and work out big? Yes, and yes. If an opportunity comes up for a phenomenal promotion, you should absolutely take it. If the girl who is way out of your league shows interest in you, you should break the bank to take her out on a nice date. If you get a chance to network with a person of prestige, you should shoot your shot. As Morgan Housel (and baseline statistics) state, tails- statistical anomalies- drive everything.
Yet, in aggregate, big swings largely do nothing. Why? Because you, by nature of the whole “statistical anomalies” thing, miss most of them. This is fine, and this is normal. The issue becomes when you, like so many in our culture, rely on big swings so much that you come to convince yourself that those are all that matter.
This is untrue. You only have so much energy. You only have so much focus. You only have so many opportunities. You should use, hone, and take all of them when you have the chance. However, the issue with this is pacing. You can’t sprint a marathon. You can’t carpet bomb every hot girl at your church with date requests. You can’t just interrupt any famous person all the time. Patience and timing are critical.
In anything resembling a marathon, you must adopt a mentality of immense consistency to get you over the top. Establish and set goals, particularly for long-term life success. This is the key. When this is done, you must allow yourself (key word, allow) to be consistent towards them for a long period of time. In my case, for example, I’ve gone on hundreds of dating app dates, spending thousands of dollars collectively. I’ve worked out before the sun thousands of times. I’ve taken thousands of sales calls. I’ve come up with dozens of business plans. I’ve put myself out there in various social settings in more ways than I can count. I’ve written hundreds of articles. I’ve recorded hundreds of podcasts. I’ve invested hundreds of thousands in my personal growth and development.
Did the vast majority of those result in success? No. But that’s not the point. The point is, after all of that, I have a wonderful relationship, a healthy and ripped physique, have an outrageously-good social life, bought a home, have my retirement already fully-funded, am starting to finally grow an audience and recognition for my creative work, met most of my heroes personally, and can find meaning in the day-to-day- all before I’ve hit 30 years old. This is the Compounding Lift Principle in action. It is a tremendous blessing if you recognize it and know how to work it.
Consistency really does kill- if you’re consistent.
Own the Day,
Sam