The James Granstrom Podcast - Super Soul Model series

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

• James Granstrom

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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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Speaker 1:

When it comes to breakthroughs and transformation, people think there needs to be a big, massive change. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Big change comes through incremental things done regularly. This is James and you're listening to the Super Soul Model Series. Today's episode is all about the 1% rule, a powerful mindset shift that will change and enhance the quality of your wellbeing. Thanks for tuning in. If you're returning and if you're new to the show, welcome. Today's episode is gonna be packed with powerful, practical tips, because this is what this podcast is all about. When I first started wanting to learn personal development, spirituality, physical health, learning about finances, I needed the practical touch, and so this episode is filled and laden with practical tools in which you can begin to apply, because nothing changes until you do. Now, when it comes to breakthroughs and transformation, people think there needs to be a big, massive change. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Big change comes through incremental things done regularly, and when we're looking at movie stars, you hear about that. The overnight success took 10 years. That's exactly what we're talking about with the 1% rule. It was showing up every single day, regardless, and one of my big breakthroughs came when I had a near-death experience and I was drinking heavily and it was only when I began to start meditating every single day and I made a pact with myself that I'd do it twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. And I've been doing that since November 2003, which makes that almost 21 years plus of meditating.

Speaker 1:

Now, in the story of one of my clients, it becomes a very interesting thing how people think big breakthroughs are happening. Now one of my clients is a very successful man. He's made a lot of money and he's helped a lot of people. But one of his challenges was that when he wants to let off steam, he tries to go to the gym and one of the challenges that he had was trying to overachieve, trying to load on the weights, only to discover that it put him on his back for over three weeks when he went out one weekend. So big breakthroughs don't happen. They come through building solid foundation, and there's a wonderful quote by Bruce Lee. He says I fear not the man who's kicked 10,000 kicks, but I fear the man who's kicked the same kick 10,000 times. So what that's really saying is the 1% rule is how often are you doing a good habit? Over and over and over again, because that good habit compounds, and that is essentially what the 1% rule is all about. How can you compound what you have Even Einstein mentioned? He goes, one of the most secret things in the universe that people don't really recognize is the power of compounding. Now you can compound your success with successful habits. You can compound that with your investments and making money. You can compound that in daily meditation and calming your nervous system. You can compound it by showing up and having good relationships and investing in relationships.

Speaker 1:

No-transcript. So let's really just try to identify this. Most people think that we need radical change to feel better, but in actual fact, what we really need is small, incremental change to feel better, because it's the fulfillment that we get through seeing the results. Now, the 1% rule is really simple. It's just really asking yourself where could I shift today and be 1% better? Now, that might be the area of energy, it could be the area of emotion, thought or habit it matters really not. But really asking yourself that question how could I shift and be 1% better could literally fill up all different areas of your life, from your mind, your body, your happiness levels. It could be even like your finances, which is massively something that I began to apply and be 1% better, and we're going to try and look at loads of different areas of which you could begin to maybe be inspired by an action that you could take.

Speaker 1:

So, when you wake up in the morning, are you drinking a decent glass of clean filtered water or are you reaching for something else, maybe a coffee? One of the first things you need to do is hydrate your body so your blood levels begin to balance, rather than reaching for a coffee. The other thing is, instead of waking up and scrolling straight away, why not wake up and say a prayer of thanks for a really good day? One of the most powerful things today is start the day with thanks, and when I began to do that, I began to see the world very differently, because before I just get up and be mindless and unconscious. But when I began to wake up with thanks, I noticed that my day began to be so much better and I'd see more green lights. Essentially, when you begin to try and ask yourself, where can I shift and be 1% better, what you're going to do is see green lights in the areas that perhaps you didn't see them before. That's what I noticed.

Speaker 1:

So in my body. One of the first things I noticed was I was addicted to alcohol, and one of the things that I did was I began to implement a meditation practice, and 21 years later, I've still been practicing that every single day. And when I look into the amount of time accumulated that I've been meditating, it equates to roughly six months of nonstop meditation in over 20 plus years, and it's the equivalent of over 21,000 meditations I've done so. It's a lot, but I'm not here to brag. All I'm really here to say is that practice allowed me to tune my body up to a naturally high energy, and I've been blessed to be well for all of those years. Now I've had the occasional blip, but it's only been for one or two days and that's about it. So when I'm looking at my well-being, I'm looking in about all the little things that I've implemented.

Speaker 1:

So ask yourself what little things could you do to improve the quality of your life? Now, instead of reaching for a coffee in the morning, reach for some water. That might be an idea. Instead of scrolling, reach for a gratitude journal and start saying thanks first thing in the morning and when you wake up in the morning, instead of just trying 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 of the body, which means you're going to go into your day with a lot more energy. And another thing that you could begin to do first thing in the morning to be 1% better is have some intentions about what you wish to achieve today. This is really powerful.

Speaker 1:

And the other thing that made my life a little bit more magical was asking what the universe could do for me. Now, it wasn't what it could do for me today, but what could it do on some of the things I found that I couldn't personally do? I couldn't personally do, and when I started writing down, I noticed that my overwhelmment subsided because little things were being taken care of. Because I put it on the things that I can do list and things that the universe can do list Simple 1% changes. If you're thinking that you have to man-manage and control everything, you're absolutely wrong. You have a universal manager here to help you.

Speaker 1:

Another way you could shift to become 1% better today is could I shift from being judgmental about somebody and something and be curious instead when it comes to your well-being and being 1% better, having lots of energy is really important, and when it comes to energy, one of the things you have to understand is your digestion and your stomach is using a lot of energy. So one of the ways that you could begin to implement and have more energy and tap into a natural high and see more green lights because you've got faster flowing energy is to perhaps go for a little walk after every meal you have. Even a five minute walk is really powerful in aiding your digestion, because the better your digestion, the more energy you're going to have. When it comes to your well-being, the 1% rule is so important because well-being covers so many different areas. It covers your personal life, it covers your romantic life, it covers your relationships, it covers your financial life, it covers your health and it covers your impact in the community as well, and also it covers your spiritual life. So there are so many different segments that are important for your wellbeing, and if one of them's off, what actually happens is it begins to stick out like a sore thumb, and so by applying 1% every day, you can manage some of these different areas and really what happens is what we value the most goes to the top of the list, and what we don't value the most goes to the bottom.

Speaker 1:

So, when it comes to something as important as your finances, ask yourself where could I be 1% better? Could I learn about some investments? Or could I put a little bit more money in my investment instead of spending it on that one thing that I don't really need, because every time you're delaying your gratification and you're playing the 1% rule game, what you're actually doing is gonna see greater results in the long run. I mean, I just looked at one of my investments today and I was like wow, I only opened this fund like two years ago and it's tripled and I am so proud of myself because I did a lot of these things. I, instead of spending money on that, I put it in the investment and now it's accrued in value. And so every time you're asking yourself, where could I be 1% better in any area, and begin to apply it, you're going to see results and that will be incredibly satisfying and fulfilling, and fulfillment increases and enhance your wellbeing, and this little simple mantra makes you feel great, even if and this little simple mantra makes you feel great, even if you're anxious, it makes you feel great, even if you feel overwhelmed or negative.

Speaker 1:

But what if it turns out great? You know what if this challenge or this health crisis actually turns out great? I had a friend that I was out for lunch with on Sunday and I said exactly this. And he's an elderly chap and he was very concerned about going into his treatment to be able to find out the results that were going to happen the day after. And I said well, what if it turns out great? And you know, with enough chat with that, for about five minutes he felt a lot more optimistic. And you know what? I got a text yesterday and he said you know what? It turned out great. It's something that we can deal with. And I was so relieved that this simple exercise can really help you, assist your mind in looking for the good instead of the negative.

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Mind is always, always looking for the negative. It requires effort to look for the positive and when you're having this mantra, what if it turns out great? This really helps you and no matter how life unfolds for you, if you have this mantra in the back of your mind, you're going to land on on higher ground. Another thing you can do for the mind every single day is to spend at least one or two minutes 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 trees swaying, when we're looking at the grass swaying in the wind, when we're looking at the waves in the ocean or the little waves that you find in rivers and streams, that is all an alpha rhythm pattern. And what happens when you spend one or two minutes in nature? Your brain begins to follow suit and copy that alpha rhythm. And that, folks, is what is called the flow state.

Speaker 1:

Something for the body you can do every single day is really simple A little stretch, whatever it takes. A little stretch, move the body, but most importantly, hydrate. And even making sure that you're having some minerals inside your body is important, because you can do all the sweating in the world and hydrate, but unless you're having the minerals and something I really swear by is celtic sea salt, which just has about like roughly 90 of the minerals out the 96 that the human body needs there or thereabouts it is a very powerful thing you can begin to do to improve by one percent. And remember, when you're hydrated, your brain is enlarged instead of it shrinking when you're dehydrated, which means you're not able to focus. The next thing you're going to do every single day to be one percent better is check in with your loved ones. That connection improves the quality of your life and when that emotional state is great, you're going to perform so much better in your work and whatever you're doing in your creativity. If you're looking at athletes, one of the things that makes them succeed is having strong foundations and connection, because without it they can't perform at the highest level.

Speaker 1:

And if you're concerned about your health, what could you do to enhance your well-being by 1% today? Could you have more nutrients? Could you get more greens inside of your body? Could you have more fresh fruits? Could you hydrate first thing in the morning? Could you go for walks after every 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 after every meal and I'm feeding her some healthy food and I've seen her energy increase significantly. That's how powerful these simple 1% rules are, even if you're 80 plus.

Speaker 1:

So one of the things that I used to do before I began to start this podcast was I had a postcard and above my laptop I had desire, commit, succeed, and those three words really drove me to be able to create a really successful podcast, and one of the things that I really swear by is just having that mantra inside of my head. So one of the things I want to ask you this week is what are you going to commit to, what are you going to apply, and can you do it for seven days straight? Because when you are consistent and you take tiny actions and you're consistent at it, you're going to see extraordinary results, and I know that firsthand because I've seen them in my own life and I want that for you. But you have to show up for yourself. So just asking yourself what 1% shift could I do to improve my quality of my life today? And just try and take some action and stick to it.

Speaker 1:

Whatever you value the most right now, you will do, but if you don't value it, it'll be at the bottom of the list. If you've enjoyed this episode, please remember to like, subscribe and share, and if you think someone would really benefit from it, please share it with them, because it also helps the algorithm and helps more people be 1% better, and that creates a really powerful positive ripple effect and ultimately, what we're trying to create here is a bunch of really conscious, happy human beings. So until the next episode, I wish you a wonderful week ahead and green lights all the way you.