Pump The Well

Something that I’ve learned (and I’ve heard experts say) is the biggest differentiator between being good and being great, is consistency. Coined by Darren Hardy, I’m a huge believer in what he calls “the compound effect” and how small positive actions taken consistently over time lead to unimaginable results. In Hardy’s book titled “The Compound Effect”, he uses a simple analogy to demonstrate how consistency works that I want to share with you.

Imagine you’re standing next to a well and in order to draw water from it, you need to pump a lever. So you start pumping the lever. You pump and pump and pump, and nothing comes out. At this point many people reason that maybe it’s just not meant to work, they’re doing it wrong or something is broken, and they quit. 

But not you. You stay consistent and keep pumping the well, investing more time, energy and effort into drawing water. You pump and pump and pump some more and then finally a few drops come out. This could be disappointing, all of that work for only a few drops… This also causes many people to quit now because it’s just not worth the effort.

But you are resilient and you persevere. So you keep pumping the lever and those few drops turn into a full flow of water that comes pouring from the spout.

Notice what happened over time. The amount of effort you were putting in didn’t change - Each pump of the lever required the same amount of effort. It’s what came from each pump that changed!

Pumping the lever is a metaphor for you doing something consistently. When you are consistent and do the work again and again, you’re pressurizing the well in your life. You’re investing in the system that will eventually reward you with more than you could have ever asked for.

This concept applies for a workout routine, a meditation practice, a money management system, or anything really. You might not see the results you want as quickly as you’d like to, but if you take consistent positive action eventually the results will come in a massive way!

Now one last piece to mention here that’s important - When you start getting results, the spout of your life is pouring with water, you still need to stay consistent to keep producing that outcome. If you stop pumping the well then you’ll lose all of the momentum you earned, and you’ll find yourself right back at the beginning. So your practice is to always pump the well. Always prioritize the small things that compound to create big results, regardless of if you’re getting just a few drops or a full flow of water from the spout.

Consistency can change your life and it takes you to step up and keep pumping the well for yourself. 

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