Adopt the One Percent Better Change Model — Alma 36–38
Come, Follow Me: Book of Mormon 2024 (July 29–August 4)
This week the Great Britain bicycle team won their first two gold medals in the Paris Olympics. Today, they are ranked one of the best cycling teams in the world, but that was not always the case.
“For more than a century, the national bicycle racing teams of Great Britain had been the laughingstock of the cycling world. Mired in mediocrity, British riders had managed only a handful of gold medals in 100 years of Olympic competitions…. So sorry was the plight of British riders that some bike manufacturers refused to even sell bikes to the Brits, fearing it would forever sully their hard-won reputations” (Michael A. Dunn, “One Percent Better,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 106–8).
In 2003, Sir David Brailsford was hired and implemented a strategy he referred to as “the aggregation of marginal gains.” “The whole principle came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improved it by 1 percent, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together” (Michael A. Dunn, “One Percent Better,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 106–8).
Did this approach work? In the Tokyo Olympics, the UK won more gold medals in cycling than any other country and this week they began a repeat of that success.
Will this same approach work with doing hard divinely better? Alma assures us it will: “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise” (Alma 37:6)
Here are three small and simple things that could change your life:
Read one scripture before you read social media once a day
Journal one sentence every night about one blessing you received that day
Call or text one friend or family member a day expressing your love and encouragement.
“…one caveat with this approach is that for small gains to aggregate, there must be a consistent, day-in and day-out effort. And although we won’t be perfect, we must be determined to mirror our persistence with patience. Do that, and the sweet rewards of increased righteousness will bring you the joy and peace you seek” (Michael A. Dunn, “One Percent Better,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 106–8).
Do Hard Divinely Better Lesson #30: Adopt the small and simple, one percent better, change model when you desire to become better.