Can 1 penny make you rich?
One week. Seven days. 168 hours.
It goes by fast...but it’s actually more time than we give it credit for!
We tend to treat a week like it’s too small to matter. Too short to change anything. Too little time to move the needle and therefore, too short a horizon to be worth investing in ourselves.
This is the Sorites Paradox in action—a philosophical story that explores the question: “Can one grain of sand make a pile?” or a popular modern interpretation:
“Can a single penny make you rich?”
The answer is always the same:
No, of course not; at least...not by itself.
But when repeated, at some point, even a contrarian would have to acknowledge that if you were given one penny after another, after another - after 100 pennies, you have a dollar. 1,000 pennies = $10. And if you keep following this pattern - 1 million pennies gets you to $10,000 and after 100 million pennies you'd hit the $1M mark. 🤯
So...yes...eventually, somewhere along the way, a single penny can make you rich!
We underestimate small efforts because they don’t feel dramatic.
But dramatic isn’t often how lasting change works. Change that sticks is the accumulation of small, sustainable repetitions.
When you spend one week:
- pausing instead of rushing
- noticing your breath
- connecting to your core
- choosing one small effort over none
...you prove to yourself that even your smallest actions and efforts, especially when applied consistently, count. Small investments in the sort-term add up to big dividends over the long-term. And, enjoying the journey can and should be part of the process!
Even if or when:
- it feels uncomfortable
- it's not natural
- motivation is inconsistent
...you show up anyway, and that is your first compounding “penny.”
Every rep says: “I invest in myself.” Even if it’s just 30 seconds today.
And after 7 days? Something shifts: Not just improved strength, but pleasant surprises like decreased pain, enhanced mind-muscle connection, confidence, and even self-trust from consistently showing up.
Everything compounds (this goes for bad habits, too, so be careful to invest in what you value!). So, never doubt the power of one breath, one rep, one plank, one week. After all, if we are lucky enough to live to be 80, we only get 4,000 of them! Time to start making every moment count!
Show up. Start Small, but start. Small is how every big thing starts. You are so worth showing up for. 💪