Most great things are not accomplished in a moment, a day, or a week. Most are not the result of a flurry of wild, concentrated activity in order to meet the deadline. Most really enduring and wonderful things are the result of the power of every day.

You know this if you take the time to think about it. When you watch an Olympian compete, you know that he did not just arrive at the track last week, last month, or even last year. Listen to his interviews, and interwoven in all his explanations of how he accomplished what he has is every day. Each day he did something according to a plan. Each day he laid a brick or two in one the walls of the great house he was building. If you watched him from one day to the next, or even one week to the next, you couldn’t tell the difference. It doesn’t look like much.

But it doesn’t have to be much. Just something according to a plan, executed every day.

Look at it this way: if you cleared your schedule and dedicated your time to read to your child for one week straight, what will be the result? You would not make it through the first hour or two! Before too long the wiggles set in and attention wanes. The end result will be a mere blip in your child’s life.

However, what if you decided to read just 10 minutes to your child just before bed every night for the next two to three years? After a day or two, what would the result be? No big deal. After a month, what difference will it make? A little, but probably not much. After a year or two, do you think the power of every day will make much of a difference? You bet it will!

Let’s consider the power of every day as it applies to your career. What if you read a chapter or two every day in a well-reviewed book in your field? After a week, will anyone notice a difference? Probably not. After a month or so, will you transform into the “wise one” at work? No, probably not. What about after a year or two, do you think it will have made a difference? I’d be willing to bet you alot of money that it will. You know it will pay great dividends.

Jim Rohn says:”If you read a book a week, in ten years you will be in the top ten percent of your field.” I disagree. That used to be the case when most of your colleagues were more well read. I think in three-to-five years you will make it to the top ten percent. Nevertheless, Jim Rohn knew the power of every day.

Now you do too!