The 1% Rule - The Truth About How Well-being Actually Works

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The secret to transforming your life isn't found in massive overnight changes but in the subtle power of daily 1% improvements. Drawing from over two decades of personal experience, including a 21-year meditation practice spanning more than 21,000 sessions, I share how small, consistent actions create profound results through the miracle of compounding.

We often chase dramatic breakthrough moments while overlooking the simple truth that Bruce Lee captured perfectly: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." The 1% Rule embraces this wisdom, showing how tiny adjustments in your daily routine—drinking water before coffee, expressing gratitude before scrolling, or taking short walks after meals to boost digestion—create a foundation for remarkable wellbeing.

This episode explores practical applications of the 1% Rule across multiple dimensions of life: physical health, emotional resilience, financial growth, and spiritual development. I share how simple mental shifts like asking "What if it turns out great?" transformed an elderly friend's outlook before medical treatment, and how brief daily nature exposure synchronizes your brain to beneficial alpha rhythms. Whether you're looking to increase energy, improve relationships, or build financial security, the compound effect of consistent small improvements creates the sustainable transformation we all seek. What tiny action will you commit to for the next seven days? Your 1% improvement awaits.

Subscribe and share this episode to help others discover the life-changing power of incremental improvement and join our community of conscious, thriving individuals making positive ripples in the world.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
When it comes to breakthroughs and transformation
, people think there needs to bea big, massive change.
In fact, it's quite theopposite.
Big change comes throughincremental things done
regularly.
This is James and you'relistening to the Super Soul
Model Series.
Today's episode is all aboutthe 1% rule, a powerful mindset
shift that will change andenhance the quality of your

(00:27):
wellbeing.
Thanks for tuning in.
If you're returning and ifyou're new to the show, welcome.
Today's episode is gonna bepacked with powerful, practical
tips, because this is what thispodcast is all about.
When I first started wanting tolearn personal development,
spirituality, physical health,learning about finances, I
needed the practical touch, andso this episode is filled and

(00:49):
laden with practical tools inwhich you can begin to apply,
because nothing changes untilyou do.
Now, when it comes tobreakthroughs and transformation
, people think there needs to bea big, massive change.
In fact, it's quite theopposite.
Big change comes throughincremental things done
regularly, and when we'relooking at movie stars, you hear

(01:10):
about that.
The overnight success took 10years.
That's exactly what we'retalking about with the 1% rule.
It was showing up every singleday, regardless, and one of my
big breakthroughs came when Ihad a near-death experience and
I was drinking heavily and itwas only when I began to start
meditating every single day andI made a pact with myself that
I'd do it twice a day, once inthe morning and once in the

(01:32):
evening.
And I've been doing that sinceNovember 2003, which makes that
almost 21 years plus ofmeditating.
Now, in the story of one of myclients, it becomes a very
interesting thing how peoplethink big breakthroughs are
happening.
Now one of my clients is a verysuccessful man.
He's made a lot of money andhe's helped a lot of people.

(01:53):
But one of his challenges wasthat when he wants to let off
steam, he tries to go to the gymand one of the challenges that
he had was trying to overachieve, trying to load on the weights,
only to discover that it puthim on his back for over three
weeks when he went out oneweekend.
So big breakthroughs don'thappen.
They come through buildingsolid foundation, and there's a

(02:15):
wonderful quote by Bruce Lee.
He says I fear not the manwho's kicked 10,000 kicks, but I
fear the man who's kicked thesame kick 10,000 times.
So what that's really saying isthe 1% rule is how often are
you doing a good habit?
Over and over and over again,because that good habit
compounds, and that isessentially what the 1% rule is

(02:38):
all about.
How can you compound what youhave Even Einstein mentioned?
He goes, one of the most secretthings in the universe that
people don't really recognize isthe power of compounding.
Now you can compound yoursuccess with successful habits.
You can compound that with yourinvestments and making money.
You can compound that in dailymeditation and calming your

(02:59):
nervous system.
You can compound it by showingup and having good relationships
and investing in relationships.
No-transcript.
So let's really just try toidentify this.
Most people think that we needradical change to feel better,
but in actual fact, what wereally need is small,
incremental change to feelbetter, because it's the

(03:21):
fulfillment that we get throughseeing the results.
Now, the 1% rule is reallysimple.
It's just really askingyourself where could I shift
today and be 1% better?
Now, that might be the area ofenergy, it could be the area of
emotion, thought or habit itmatters really not.
But really asking yourself thatquestion how could I shift and

(03:41):
be 1% better could literallyfill up all different areas of
your life, from your mind, yourbody, your happiness levels.
It could be even like yourfinances, which is massively
something that I began to applyand be 1% better, and we're
going to try and look at loadsof different areas of which you
could begin to maybe be inspiredby an action that you could

(04:02):
take.
So, when you wake up in themorning, are you drinking a
decent glass of clean filteredwater or are you reaching for
something else, maybe a coffee?
One of the first things youneed to do is hydrate your body
so your blood levels begin tobalance, rather than reaching
for a coffee.
The other thing is, instead ofwaking up and scrolling straight
away, why not wake up and say aprayer of thanks for a really

(04:24):
good day?
One of the most powerful thingstoday is start the day with
thanks, and when I began to dothat, I began to see the world
very differently, because beforeI just get up and be mindless
and unconscious.
But when I began to wake upwith thanks, I noticed that my
day began to be so much betterand I'd see more green lights.
Essentially, when you begin totry and ask yourself, where can

(04:45):
I shift and be 1% better, whatyou're going to do is see green
lights in the areas that perhapsyou didn't see them before.
That's what I noticed.
So in my body.
One of the first things Inoticed was I was addicted to
alcohol, and one of the thingsthat I did was I began to
implement a meditation practice,and 21 years later, I've still
been practicing that everysingle day.

(05:05):
And when I look into the amountof time accumulated that I've
been meditating, it equates toroughly six months of nonstop
meditation in over 20 plus years, and it's the equivalent of
over 21,000 meditations I'vedone so.
It's a lot, but I'm not here tobrag.
All I'm really here to say isthat practice allowed me to tune

(05:26):
my body up to a naturally highenergy, and I've been blessed to
be well for all of those years.
Now I've had the occasionalblip, but it's only been for one
or two days and that's about it.
So when I'm looking at mywell-being, I'm looking in about
all the little things that I'veimplemented.
So ask yourself what littlethings could you do to improve
the quality of your life?

(05:46):
Now, instead of reaching for acoffee in the morning, reach for
some water.
That might be an idea.
Instead of scrolling, reach fora gratitude journal and start
saying thanks first thing in themorning and when you wake up in
the morning, instead of justtrying to be static.
Perhaps you could move the body, because when you move the body
first thing in the morning,what you're doing is activating
more energy and chi inside ofthe body, which means you're

(06:08):
going to go into your day with alot more energy.
And another thing that youcould begin to do first thing in
the morning to be 1% better ishave some intentions about what
you wish to achieve today.
This is really powerful.
And the other thing that made mylife a little bit more magical
was asking what the universecould do for me.
Now, it wasn't what it could dofor me today, but what could it

(06:28):
do on some of the things Ifound that I couldn't personally
do?
I couldn't personally do, andwhen I started writing down, I
noticed that my overwhelmmentsubsided because little things
were being taken care of.
Because I put it on the thingsthat I can do list and things
that the universe can do listSimple 1% changes.
If you're thinking that youhave to man-manage and control
everything, you're absolutelywrong.

(06:49):
You have a universal managerhere to help you.
Another way you could shift tobecome 1% better today is could
I shift from being judgmentalabout somebody and something and
be curious instead when itcomes to your well-being and
being 1% better, having lots ofenergy is really important, and
when it comes to energy, one ofthe things you have to

(07:10):
understand is your digestion andyour stomach is using a lot of
energy.
So one of the ways that youcould begin to implement and
have more energy and tap into anatural high and see more green
lights because you've got fasterflowing energy is to perhaps go
for a little walk after everymeal you have.
Even a five minute walk isreally powerful in aiding your
digestion, because the betteryour digestion, the more energy

(07:32):
you're going to have.
When it comes to yourwell-being, the 1% rule is so
important because well-beingcovers so many different areas.
It covers your personal life,it covers your romantic life, it
covers your relationships, itcovers your financial life, it
covers your health and it coversyour impact in the community as
well, and also it covers yourspiritual life.

(07:54):
So there are so many differentsegments that are important for
your wellbeing, and if one ofthem's off, what actually
happens is it begins to stickout like a sore thumb, and so by
applying 1% every day, you canmanage some of these different
areas and really what happens iswhat we value the most goes to
the top of the list, and what wedon't value the most goes to

(08:15):
the bottom.
So, when it comes to somethingas important as your finances,
ask yourself where could I be 1%better?
Could I learn about someinvestments?
Or could I put a little bitmore money in my investment
instead of spending it on thatone thing that I don't really
need, because every time you'redelaying your gratification and
you're playing the 1% rule game,what you're actually doing is

(08:38):
gonna see greater results in thelong run.
I mean, I just looked at one ofmy investments today and I was
like wow, I only opened thisfund like two years ago and it's
tripled and I am so proud ofmyself because I did a lot of
these things.
I, instead of spending money onthat, I put it in the
investment and now it's accruedin value.
And so every time you're askingyourself, where could I be 1%

(09:01):
better in any area, and begin toapply it, you're going to see
results and that will beincredibly satisfying and
fulfilling, and fulfillmentincreases and enhance your
wellbeing, and this littlesimple mantra makes you feel
great, even if and this littlesimple mantra makes you feel
great, even if you're anxious,it makes you feel great, even if
you feel overwhelmed ornegative.
But what if it turns out great?

(09:22):
You know what if this challengeor this health crisis actually
turns out great?
I had a friend that I was outfor lunch with on Sunday and I
said exactly this.
And he's an elderly chap and hewas very concerned about going
into his treatment to be able tofind out the results that were
going to happen the day after.
And I said well, what if itturns out great?

(09:42):
And you know, with enough chatwith that, for about five
minutes he felt a lot moreoptimistic.
And you know what?
I got a text yesterday and hesaid you know what?
It turned out great.
It's something that we can dealwith.
And I was so relieved that thissimple exercise can really help
you, assist your mind inlooking for the good instead of

(10:03):
the negative.
Mind is always, always lookingfor the negative.
It requires effort to look forthe positive and when you're
having this mantra, what if itturns out great?
This really helps you and nomatter how life unfolds for you,
if you have this mantra in theback of your mind, you're going
to land on on higher ground.
Another thing you can do forthe mind every single day is to

(10:24):
spend at least one or twominutes just staring at nature,
being in nature.
This really soothes the mind.
It's so good for you.
Nature has alpha rhythm,meaning it is the flow state.
So when we look at the treesswaying, when we're looking at
the grass swaying in the wind,when we're looking at the waves
in the ocean or the little wavesthat you find in rivers and

(10:45):
streams, that is all an alpharhythm pattern.
And what happens when you spendone or two minutes in nature?
Your brain begins to followsuit and copy that alpha rhythm.
And that, folks, is what iscalled the flow state.
Something for the body you cando every single day is really
simple A little stretch,whatever it takes.
A little stretch, move the body, but most importantly, hydrate.

(11:07):
And even making sure thatyou're having some minerals
inside your body is important,because you can do all the
sweating in the world andhydrate, but unless you're
having the minerals andsomething I really swear by is
celtic sea salt, which just hasabout like roughly 90 of the
minerals out the 96 that thehuman body needs there or
thereabouts it is a verypowerful thing you can begin to

(11:30):
do to improve by one percent.
And remember, when you'rehydrated, your brain is enlarged
instead of it shrinking whenyou're dehydrated, which means
you're not able to focus.
The next thing you're going todo every single day to be one
percent better is check in withyour loved ones.
That connection improves thequality of your life and when
that emotional state is great,you're going to perform so much

(11:50):
better in your work and whateveryou're doing in your creativity
.
If you're looking at athletes,one of the things that makes
them succeed is having strongfoundations and connection,
because without it they can'tperform at the highest level.
And if you're concerned aboutyour health, what could you do
to enhance your well-being by 1%today?
Could you have more nutrients?
Could you get more greensinside of your body?

(12:11):
Could you have more freshfruits?
Could you hydrate first thingin the morning?
Could you go for walks afterevery meal to improve and
enhance your digestion?
I've got my mum staying with me, who's 80 at the moment, and
I'm taking her for walks afterevery meal and I'm feeding her
some healthy food and I've seenher energy increase
significantly.
That's how powerful thesesimple 1% rules are, even if

(12:33):
you're 80 plus.
So one of the things that I usedto do before I began to start
this podcast was I had apostcard and above my laptop I
had desire, commit, succeed, andthose three words really drove
me to be able to create a reallysuccessful podcast, and one of
the things that I really swearby is just having that mantra

(12:53):
inside of my head.
So one of the things I want toask you this week is what are
you going to commit to, what areyou going to apply, and can you
do it for seven days straight?
Because when you are consistentand you take tiny actions and
you're consistent at it, you'regoing to see extraordinary
results, and I know thatfirsthand because I've seen them
in my own life and I want thatfor you.

(13:14):
But you have to show up foryourself.
So just asking yourself what 1%shift could I do to improve my
quality of my life today?
And just try and take someaction and stick to it.
Whatever you value the mostright now, you will do, but if
you don't value it, it'll be atthe bottom of the list.
If you've enjoyed this episode,please remember to like,
subscribe and share, and if youthink someone would really

(13:37):
benefit from it, please share itwith them, because it also
helps the algorithm and helpsmore people be 1% better, and
that creates a really powerfulpositive ripple effect and
ultimately, what we're trying tocreate here is a bunch of
really conscious, happy humanbeings.
So until the next episode, Iwish you a wonderful week ahead
and green lights all the way you.