The Compounded Life

Compounds are the result of having one item combined with another.

In Japan, it’s known as the Kaizen principle. The results of continuous improvement In Kenya, we say “Haba na haba hujaza kibaba”. This translates to “the little draws of water from a cup eventually fill up a jar.”

Look at it this way: why are most old people termed wise? It’s the accumulated years they have lived on earth, and from those years comes the expertise of the years they have acquired. The day-by-day experience makes them age, but with an experience unmatched by a youth. In the same way, to be a master in a field, you must complete 10,000 hours of engaging in the particular field. That is why there is a distinction between a senior and a junior. Not mere experience but thorough life experience in the field. The same way it’s known, don’t advise me on how to raise my kids when you don’t have any of your own.

I think by now you have gotten the gist of the appetite I am presenting. If not, I will take a biblical approach. Look at David, the king before the king. He was motivated not only by having faith in the Lord but also by being a shepherd, one who had experience fending off wild animals when they attacked his flock. He was experienced in using the rod and staff. And comparatively, Goliath was another beast in the jungle who had come to devour the Israelites in fear. Also, look at the tool he used. A tool he was experienced in using. He knew that a sling, with river-cut stones, would do the work. And since he had experience shepherding his family’s flock, the people of Israel were safe under his shoulders as their leader.

Another one is the effect of rituals or prayers. When you do a certain ritual for a long time, it attunes to your nature. Remember Bruce Lee with his ritual of 1 kick practiced 10,000 times over the different 10,000 kicks practiced once? “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 same effect is felt in prayer. The effect of compounded tears is evident in the passage in Luke 18:1–8, The Parable of the Persistent Widow. Jesus urges his disciples to pray day and night. And just like the unjust judge, who neither feared God nor cared about what people thought, he did what the widow desired from the persistent cries from her. He did it so that he could continue bothering him.

In our age, persistence tends to be equated with discipline. stoic move. Hardcore to get the work done. But others prefer enjoying what they do. It gets them to do more of what they value. But rarely does a person get to survive by doing what they enjoy. To eat, you have to work for it. And to work for it has unprecedented challenges from the range of work you ought to do to earn a living. The work is constrained to specific particulars. The artistry is infiltrated with workers better off, the music is filled to the brim with talents far off better, with new musicians every day. I will preach that aligning the work with your interests may get you to enjoy the work you do. Maybe you are a developer who magically architects pure software. But first, remember the 10,000 hours of mastery principle.

This is magnified by Martin Luther King Jr., who is quoted as saying, “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving.” Consistent forward movement will get you up ahead. Continuous improvements get the work done. Bit-by-bit strokes of the axe make the tree crumble under its weight.

Personally, this has magnified my online learning experience. Starting was hard. Especially having to wean off the physical restrictions of traditional learning I had become accustomed to. Having to wean off the accountability placed by assignments, which were all to be physically presented, Having to wean off being the only student in the class without having to rely on the course and classmates but the internet It was difficult. Such sudden transitions welcome change, which welcomes experience in that area. Now I have almost 6 months to boast about learning software engineering purely online. I can say that continuous showing up gets the work done; however, enjoying it makes a lot of sense and it’s far easier.

I would also iterate on this. Knowledge is spontaneous, and so it has to die like fire, which is close to foolishness. Have understanding, which is wisdom, and die like the mountains, immortal in death. Knowledge is instant satisfaction, and understanding is long-term satisfaction from having to practice the acquired knowledge.