The Miracle Equation summary

Let’s rewind back to Hal Elrod’s early twenties. He was just out of college and working as a sales rep for Cutco, a high-end kitchenware company. Up to that point, he’d been a pretty average kid, but he was beginning to hit his stride. That was down to his success in so-called “push periods” – Cutco’s 14-day sales contests.

In early 2001, he’d just made $20,000 worth of sales in two consecutive pushes and was on the verge of breaking the company’s all-time sales record. All he needed to do was make the same amount in a third push. The only problem? The next contest was only ten days long. That meant he’d have to sell $2,000 worth of cutlery every day – something he’d never done before.

Did you know that 27 publishers turned down Theodor Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss – the children’s book author who later sold 600 million copies of his books worldwide? Or that record studios told Elvis Presley he couldn’t cut it in the music business and advised him to stick to driving trucks? What keeps miracle mavens going when they’re faced with rejection and setbacks is unwavering faith: the unshakeable belief that they possess the ability to make miracles. But where does that faith come from?

Well, it’s what people sometimes call a “leap of faith.” That has two aspects. First, it’s a leap because there’s no other way of getting there – neither reason nor evidence provides a clear route to your destination. Secondly, it doesn’t come naturally. As we’ve seen, there are all kinds of obstacles to self-belief. That means it has to be consciously established in a moment of decision.  

By this point you might be champing at the bit to start applying the miracle equation to your own life. But hold on a second – before we do that, we’ll need to take care of a couple of common psychological logjams that get in the way of unwavering faith and extraordinary effort.

Let’s start with limitations. Think back to your childhood: What did you want to be when you grew up? Chances are, you set your sights high. Kids dream of becoming famous ballerinas or baseball players. When we’re young, everything seems possible. Over time, however, the world becomes smaller, and we find ourselves hemmed in by self-imposed limitations.

When the author was 20, he was involved in a near-fatal car crash after being hit head-on by a drunk driver going 70 miles an hour. What did the most damage, though, was being broadsided by a second vehicle. That collision broke eleven bones, including Elrod’s femur, eye socket and pelvis. His heart stopped for a full six minutes and he almost bled to death, leaving him in a coma.

When he woke, he was told he’d probably never walk again. His doctors expected him to fall into a profound depression. But after a moment of deep reflection, Elrod surprised them with his upbeat response. He laughed, cracked jokes and seemed to be in high spirits. That, the medical staff thought, must be a form of denial. Worried that he was repressing his emotions, they asked his parents to talk to him. That’s when the author explained the five-minute rule.  

Now that we’ve taken a look at overcoming the brain’s inbuilt limitations and toughening your emotional armor, it’s time to talk about goals. Chances are, you’ve got lots  – we all do. But here’s the issue: if you don’t prioritize, you won’t achieve any of them.

In fact, attempting to tackle all your goals at once is the most common obstacle to progress. There just isn’t enough time to work on your health, family, finances, career and relationships simultaneously. Try it and you’ll be plenty busy but failing to make anything but the most inconsequential gains. It’ll leave you frustrated and ready to call the whole thing off.

In this blink, we’ll be focusing on inching your mission from possible toward probable. The greater your progress on that front, the more likely it is that you’ll stay engaged and committed. Ready? Great – let’s explore some support strategies you can start using today.

If you’ve ever made New Year’s resolutions, you’ll know that a year is a long time. That might sound like a boon, but it can actually be a curse. That’s because it’s simply too much time: if you pursue a goal over such an extended time span, you’re likely to lose your sense of urgency. After all, if you haven’t started that diet by the end of February, you’ve always got another ten months, right? Well, no. The overly optimistic thought that “I’ve got plenty of time left” tricks us into postponing important decisions.

That brings us almost to the end of our journey. In this blink, we’ll wrap up with some tips to help you with the second part of the miracle equation – extraordinary effort. But let’s start out by clearing up a possible misconception: despite the name, this isn’t about heroic Herculean labors. In fact, bringing your miracle to fruition is all about constantly repeating small steps.

That has a couple of components. The first thing you’ll need to do is predetermine your process. What that means is figuring out which steps, if taken again and again, will lead to the fulfilment of your mission.