The Magic Penny of Lasting Change

Many times trying to improve ourselves we give up. The results that we are after aren’t showing up in the timely manner that we expect them to appear. We want to show our wives that were trying. We would like the results to be evident to her. So what gives? Why does she still not believe, that changes can be made in a faster manner?

The answer to that particular question is one that is plagued men for centuries. They start doing changes, improving themselves, and changing key details of what they believe how they dress and such, however, their spouses still don’t think changes are going to stick.

This is because we tried Changing before. We have shown our wife that our attempts to change don’t last. We have told her that we are new men yet we go back to our old ways.

So why would she believe us now? Why does it take so long to prove you have changed? The best example that I have on this is the proverbial magic Penny analogy.

It Takes Time to Change

Everything worth doing takes time. The frustrating part is that you don’t get set the time. If you’re trying to show your wife that you are a changed man for the better. Then the time frame is based on what your wife perceives. It was up to me I would be a changed man the next day after I declared it, but it is taken around seven years for me to start seeing the effects of my dedication to change. You will probably go faster than me, however, you might go slower. Do you want to understand that it is not a race.

Why does It Take So Long?

The biggest reason why it takes time is because we have fallen out of integrity with our wife on changes we’ve declared many many times. We’ve made statements that we were going to start getting up at 5 o’clock in the morning yet we still get up at 6:30. we declared that we’re going to start getting ourselves in the shape only to do that for about a week and a half and never returned to the gym. We’ve told her that we were going to show up and be attentive to her needs, yeah, the years of us sitting on the couch still shows that to be a lie.

So why does it take so long? Because we are human and we are motivated by the motivational triad. We have put ourselves into a pattern that is pleasurable, allows us to avoid pain, and is highly efficient. This is the reason why we still eat the same cereal this whole time. Us men love our routines. When we change those routines, we struggle. It’s highly uncomfortable and nowhere near as efficient as if we just let our habits take affect. So after a little while we give up on the fight and we just slide back into our old habits, routines, and ways.

The Magic Penny

So how do you show your wife that you are dedicated to coming better? The answer is in the analogy of the magic Penny.

This is now the changes in your life work. You and a friend are offered the choice one of you can have $1 million while the other can have a magic penny that doubles and value every day for 30 days. You can’t touch the Penny until the 30th day your friend chose the million dollars you got the magic Penny. Who got the better end of the deal?

Now the first day, the value of your penny is one cent, the second day it was two cents. The third day was four cents and the fifth day was eight cents. The sixth day was $.16. The seventh day is $.32. The eighth day is $.64. The ninth day is $1.28, and the 10th day is $2.56.

So far it doesn’t look like you’ve made very good choice right? You haven’t even broken a five dollar bill yet.

Now, if you keep with that pattern up, by the end of the 20th day you are blessed with a whole whopping $2,621.44. Which is still a very long way from that 1 million cool ones you were hoping to get. However, if you notice you have cleared 200 Benjamin Franklins.

By the 25th day you have $83,886.08 still nothing that would be considered close to $1 million but this is where the power of compounding comes into effect. Day 26 gives you $167,772.16. Day 27 nets $335,544.32 Day 28 gets you $671,088.64. Now you still some look like you are going to make it. Then Day 29 comes along and you have $1,342,177.28. Finally, you busted $1 million it took 29 days which means you still have one more day of doubling coming up. So at the end of the 30 days, you don’t have just $1 million you have $2,684,354.56.

The magic Penny typically is to show people the power of compound interest, but that compound effect takes place in everything you do.

You see your life is a lot like that magic Penny. At first, you’re not getting many results from your effort. And this is the reason why we give up so much. We want to get instant results, but that’s not how this works

The First 10 Days You’re Screwing Up

Most of us never even get out of the first 10 days of trying now the 10 days is metaphorical many times are 10 days may last us a couple months but most of the time I first 10 days only last seven. 

This is because we screw up so much as we are first learning. And learning is very inefficient. It is very uncomfortable. And it’s uncomfortable because we fail. We make failure mean something that it doesn’t have to mean. We take this to mean that we are not up to snuff. We take failure and mean that we are completely inadequate in doing our job as a man. we take it that we suck and that we don’t deserve a better life. 

This is where I’m saying you’re wrong. You do have the ability to have a better life. You just have to get past the 10 days of screwing up. You are a fawn just learning to stand up.

Second 10 Days You Are Starting To Get The Hang Of It

As you progress, you’re still going to slip up from time to time you’re gonna still make some rookie mistakes. And that’s OK. You’re just now getting the hang of it as you go from day 10 today 20. This is where you start to build a little bit of confidence. 

Not too much because it keeps getting trashed for the screw ups that you do make. You will still forget to do whatever it is you want to do. 

You will find tactics that will help you stick to your change. You will start experimenting more with what could possibly be. Each day you’re going to get better, stronger, and faster.

The 3rd 10 Days You Are Showing Folks That You Are Doing It. 

This is where you start growing in confidence you start gaining skills. You start kind of playing with the range of motion that you may have with this new found confidence and proof that you are pulling through. 

This is where your wife will start seeing that you’re actually trying to make a change. She will actually be more in the times that you mess up. Those times you put your foot in your mouth. 

Your wife will be more gracious because you are actually trying to be a better person. By the end you have shown everybody and your wife that you are a new man. You are the man who is going to, be there for the long run. Reason for all this is because you refused to give up. You didn’t want easy you wanted worth it. This is the key to everything you want to accomplish. It is sheer dogged determination the more you keep trying to achieve your goal the more certain you are going to be that you reach it.

If you would like help in making those lasting changes then take the next step.