The Magic Penny

If you were given a choice between taking $3 million in cash this very instant and a single penny that doubles in value every day for 31 days, which would you choose? If you've heard this before, you know the penny gambit is the choice you should make—you know it’s the course that will lead to greater wealth. Yet why is it so hard to believe choosing the penny will result in more money in the end? Because it takes so much longer to see the pay-off. Let’s take a closer look.Let’s say you take the cold, hard cash and your friend goes the penny route. On Day Five, your friend has sixteen cents. You,however, have $3 million. On Day Ten, it’s $5.12 versus your big bucks. How do you think your friend is feeling about her decision? You’re spending your millions, enjoying the heck out of it, and loving your choice.After 20 full days, with only 11 days left, Penny Lane has only $5,243. How is she feeling about herself at this point? For all her sacrifice and positive behaviour, she has barely more than $5,000. You, however, have $3 million. Then the invisible magic of the Compound Effect starts to become visible. The same small mathematical growth improvement each day makes the compounded penny worth $10,737,418.24 on Day Thirty-one,more than three times your $3 million.In this example we see why consistency over time is so important. On Day Twenty-nine, you've got your $3 million;Penny Lane has around $2.7 million. It isn't until Day Thirty of this 31-day race that she pulls ahead, with $5.3 million. And it isn't until the very last day of this month long ultra marathon that your friend blows you out of the water; she ends up with$10,737,418.24 to your $3 million.Very few things are as impressive as the “magic” of compounding pennies. Amazingly, this “force” is equally powerful in every area of your life.


 The Compound Effect-Darren Hardy