Everything Compounds

Compound through life.

When you hear the word “compounding,” chances are you immediately think about investing. It’s the financial planner’s favorite concept—your money working for you, interest on interest, the magic of time.

But the truth is, compounding isn’t just a financial principle. It shows up in nearly every area of life.

Think about starting a new workout plan or changing your diet. In the first week, it feels like nothing’s happening. The second week? Maybe still nothing. A month in, you might start questioning if it’s even worth it. But give it a year, and suddenly the results are undeniable. Your energy is different. Your body feels different. You realize the small, daily choices you made quietly added up to something much bigger.

The same is true when learning a skill—whether it’s playing a musical instrument, speaking a new language, or even just trying to get better at public speaking. At first, it feels like you’re going nowhere. You put in the reps and don’t see much progress. But then, one day, something clicks. You cross a tipping point. What felt impossible starts to feel natural.

The difficulty is that our brains aren’t wired to think this way. We’re great at thinking linearly: If I do X for Y days, I should get Z result. But life rarely works in straight lines. Progress is often invisible at first, and then suddenly exponential.

That’s why Bill Gates’ quote resonates so deeply:
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”

We expect to see big results quickly, but underestimate the power of showing up consistently over the long haul.

This applies just as much to your career as it does to your health or finances. Learning a new accounting rule change might feel frustratingly slow at first—but stay with it, and soon it becomes second nature. That big promotion at the firm might come with responsibilities that feel overwhelming—but over time, your leadership instincts strengthen and compound. And if you’ve just made the leap out of public accounting into industry, the first few months may feel like drinking from a firehose. Stick with it, and before long you’re the one showing the ropes to the next new hire.

Everything compounds—your health, your relationships, your career, your knowledge, your habits. The small things you do today won’t just add up, they’ll multiply.

The hard part is trusting the process long enough to let compounding work its magic.