So you’ve hit rock bottom? The only way is up, right? 

Well, that is where the helpful advice usually finishes 

I don’t know your circumstances, but let me be the first to tell you that your road to recovery, discovery and or success doesn’t demand monumental leaps—it only asks for one small, consistent deposit of Education, Motivation and Support every day.

A quick introduction to EMS

• Education: Identifying your obstacles and learning how to overcome them.
• Motivation: Creating an environment that fosters motivation.
• Support: Surrounding yourself with friends, family and community that support you.

When you apply these three pillars to the laws of compounding interest you will be shocked at what you can achieve and your recovery and goals will take care of themselves.

Let a former “rock bottom” dweller share something that you won’t hear on the socials – “Small deposits of EMS everyday compound and grow into an unbreakable mindset.”

Remove obstacles

The task is simple but effective—seek out the obstacles that are standing in the way of your success, happiness or development. Then commit to the smallest manageable tasks and follow through no matter how small or insignificant. These tiny changes build and grow with interest as you invest more and more.

This process works because the skills, confidence and support you gain today can be leveraged to perform larger and more demanding tasks in the future.

This process can seem daunting initially and in most cases it’s because you need to start by recalibrating your success metric and ignoring your internal monologue and the imaginary bar for success, happiness or responsibility you’ve set yourself.

The loudest voice you must negotiate with is your own. So, let’s rescript that internal narrative. Take a deep breath, and give yourself permission to set a realistic bar.

I can hear your internal monologue screaming from here. “What!? You want me to lower my expectations!?”

Set realistic expectations

Yes, I am only proposing a reduction in immediate expectations so we can focus on one day at a time, trusting that the compounding effect of our manageable efforts will grow into something more.

It sounds counterintuitive, because we are taught to think big, aim high and shoot for the stars. When we focus on these lofty goals and don’t give ourselves the time and permission to stumble, develop and learn, we grow frustrated and often give in and believe the issue lies in our ability. When in reality the issue was our strategy and not giving ourselves the time to build and grow.

Start small and trust in the law of compounding deposits.

Not convinced? Consider the snowball analogy!

A snowball rolls and collects more snow with each turn, building speed and an ever greater surface to collect more deposits. Finally, our little snowball is an avalanche roaring down the hill ploughing through any obstacle in its path. 

I hear your internal monologue scoff “But I can’t even muster a snowball.“

Well, the idea of the snowball and the avalanche has a profound impact when you consider that snowballs are made from delicate little snowflakes. Individually they float down and melt on impact, even a few are fairly inconsequential. But by the law of compounding deposits, you are only one consistent act away from an unstoppable wave of progress.

Sometimes our goal is an avalanche when we should be aiming for a snowball. So start with a snowflake and let’s take it from there. 

Aim for Consistency

The important thing to remember is some days you’ll have loads of motivation and you will make bigger deposits. But there will be days that you have no motivation at all and these days are the days that matter! Make sure to give no less than a snowflake. 

This process is not won on the days you make large deposits, it’s lost on the days you make no deposits at all. Life’s unpredictability can sometimes interrupt our growth journey. 

However, commit to never missing out twice consecutively; consistency not only fosters positive habits but prevents negative ones from taking root.

I don’t mean to be dramatic because to be honest, this strategy is not flashy and at times it’s even dull. But let me assure you, it works – it really works!

Final Thought

Just start, and you will slowly become aware of what you can realistically achieve every day with consistency, then grow from there. 

Why doesn’t anyone tell you this? Well —”strive for manageable achievable goals every day“; doesn’t sell books and can you imagine what that meme or Insta post would look like! Yeah, exactly but I cannot emphasise how powerful a focus on good habits or consistently making a deposit in your personal development can be for you improving your current situation

At times, the path ahead may seem daunting, especially when you realise that this journey is an everyday commitment. Yet, this mindset shift from sporadic max efforts to regularly— ‘just showing up with the best you have‘ makes it far more achievable.

Overcoming genuine adversity doesn’t stem from fleeting motivations or superficial standards. It roots in understanding one’s situation and what is holding you back, moving forward no matter how small the step, and then leveraging the new found EMS to add further deposits and grow even more.