Every now and then, a simple exercise comes along that says more than a two-hour lecture ever could.

Years ago, during a workshop, I used a little activity to demonstrate how small shifts in effort can create surprisingly big changes. It’s one of those exercises that looks almost too simple on the surface, yet it reliably delivers that quiet “oh… wow” moment.

Here’s how it works.

I’d ask a student to stand beside a wall and stretch one arm straight up.
“Reach as high as you can,” I’d say.
They’d stretch, strain, go up on their toes, and I’d mark the spot with a piece of tape.

Then I’d say, “Okay… now relax. Shake it out. No pressure.”
And once they settled, I’d ask, “Now reach up again. But this time, really reach and see what happens.”

Every single time, without exception, they reached higher. Sometimes only an inch. Sometimes several. Always more than they thought was possible.

Same body. Same person. Same moment.

What changed?
Just a tiny shift in intention. A whisper more effort. The decision to reach a fraction beyond what they believed was “their max.”

I would then get them to reflect on what it felt like. The difference between the two tries. I point out that that is what extra effort feels and looks like.

And here’s where it gets cool.

A young client of mine shared this story with me recently. He’d participated in that exercise in an earlier session and told me he remembered how it felt—not the facts, not the instructions, but the feeling of surprising himself during a high school track event.
That week, he had broken a high-school athletics record!
How?
Halfway through the run, he was feeling tired and then remembered that extra inch he still had.

That’s the magic of the 1%. Not the dramatic overhaul. Not the heroic sprint. Just the quiet, almost invisible choice to lean in a little more.

Most people underestimate just how much difference that tiny bit makes.
Not because they lack motivation, but because they assume they’re already at their limit.

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

• We rarely know where our real limits are.
• Most of the time, what we think is “max effort” is actually our comfort zone wearing a clever disguise.
• The doorway to breakthroughs is usually one inch outside the familiar.

In life, it’s rarely the massive leaps that change things. It’s the steady accumulation of tiny, almost forgettable moments when we reach a little higher, listen a little deeper, or stay open a little longer.

The extra inch compounds.

It builds confidence.

It reminds you that you are always capable of more than you think.

And the best part?
You don’t have to strain for it. You don’t have to grind or push or suffer for it. Real effort, the kind that reshapes results, often feels more like alignment than strain.

It’s showing up with a little more presence.
A little more curiosity.
A little more heart.

So today, whatever you’re heading into this weekend, work, training, conversations, creativity—try this:

When you think you’re done, reach just a little higher.

Not to prove anything.
Not to impress anyone.
But simply to see what’s actually possible when you go beyond what you think your limits are.

You might surprise yourself.
Most people do.

Because greatness rarely needs a heroic effort.
Often, it only needs an extra inch.

Much love,

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Sometimes listening can be more powerful than reading.

Reflection Question

Where in your life are you stopping at your “first reach,” and what happens if you lean in just one inch more?

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