What if success didn’t require dramatic leaps, endless hustle, or waiting for the “perfect” moment? What if it just required a small shift – a mere 1% improvement at any given moment? This is the fruitful concept behind the 1% rule-a quiet but powerful philosophy that has pushed the world’s most successful people. (Quinn & Shurvill, 2009)
The real key? A success mindset that foresees personal growth as a daily endeavour rather than something to be attained in the distant future. Let us examine how tiny changes made on a consistent basis, paired with an empowering mindset, lead to such worthwhile development. (C.Pillai, 2025)
What Is the 1% Rule?
The 1% rule is based on the principle of compound growth – the idea that small, incremental changes over time lead to massive results, aligning with the growth and fixed mindsets concept. You don’t always need to make huge changes at once. Instead, focus on small changes here and there, like 1% a day, to cultivate a growth mindset. (Clear, 2020)
That is, you could have a healthier meal than usual, perhaps finally reading that book off your shelf, or simply doing something that you have identified but left alone for way too long: all these tasks require a successful mindset. These tiny deeds, performed over time, will begin to gather great momentum.
Over time, with the benefit of repeated reinforcement, they will develop into other habits and create a new image of yourself within your mind, leading to genuine changes in your life. The secret lies in consistent action, in showing up when your needs are at their worst, when it feels messy, or even imperfect. (Calda & Cavalcante, 2025)
The Power of a Success Mindset
At the core of the 1% Rule lies the success mindset – the belief that you have the power to grow, evolve, and take control of your progress. A success mindset distinguishes those who give up when things get tough from those who push through and thrive, even in uncertain times, demonstrating true perseverance. (Martignetti, 2023)
Unlike a fixed mindset, which says “This is just how I am,” a success mindset embraces change and says, “I can become who I choose to be.” It’s not ignoring challenges but seeing them as opportunities for improvement. Curious, as always, no matter how uncomfortable the situation is. Discomfort reminds one that they are probably growing, which is vital to establish a growth mindset. (Mehta, 2025)
This also means that you will take complete responsibility for your life. Rather than blaming circumstances, other people, or even the past, you begin to own your choices and explore how to make things better. You are no longer a victim of your situation – the executioner of your story comes when you adopt the right mindset. Instead of being reactive to fear or frustration, you seem to have started taking visionary, clear, and purposeful actions. (Cen, et. al., 2025).
How to Start Using the 1% Rule
Starting the 1% rule is quite easy. It’s just a matter of staying focused on it. Step one involves selecting the area in your life that you want to work on improving. You cannot change everything all at once. Narrow your focus down to one thing, maybe fitness, mindset, finances, or career. (Martignetti, 2023)
Once a domain is picked, describe what 1% better means to you. Look at it from the lens of small action. Ask yourself, “What is the smallest thing I can do today that moves me ahead?” It could be stretching for five minutes, making the call you have fallen short in doing, or just jotting some paragraphs of that project you have been procrastinating on – all steps to develop a growth mindset. If you have a growth mindset, even small steps can make a big difference. A regular course of action rather than perfection is the answer. (Pahwa & Khan, 2022)
Motivate yourself and solidify the growth mindset by tracking progress. It needn’t be fancy – a notebook, a sticky note, a calendar, or even an app will work. It is just to observe how the pile of commitments grows over time. Seeing the progress reminds you of getting it done. (Mishra, 2012)
And then stay in the game on days when you do not feel like it. The beauty of the 1% rule is that it permits you to show up halfway. You don’t have to do much, just something to cultivate a mindset for success. Progress beats perfection anytime. Even the tiniest of actions is voting for who you are becoming.
Break Free with InPsychful: Developing a Success Mindset and Following the Road to Your Full Potential
If you have ever felt as if you were stuck in a loop – spinning your wheels at work, feeling unfulfilled in life, or doubting every single decision you take – you’re not broken. You’re human. But here’s the thing: You were never meant to just survive; you were meant to thrive. And that gap between where you are now and where you want to be could just be a matter of your mindset.
At InPsychful, we help you reclaim that vision of your best self through Success Mindset Coaching, designed to help you free yourself from fear, self-doubt, and limiting beliefs. Our S.O.A.R. Approach breaks through whatever is holding you back and propels you into the life you deserve.
The S.O.A.R. Approach for Mindset Reset
Deeper than just scratching the surface, our signature S.O.A.R. Approach allows you to go deep into the mental and emotional patterns that tend to keep you stuck, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.
Self-Awareness: The awareness of what one is burying that obstructs success is a primary awareness to have while cultivating a successful mindset. That is, with powerful reflection and guided coaching, the mental scripts, beliefs, and other emotional blind spots are brought to the surface.
Overcoming Limiting Beliefs: These are beliefs, such as “I’m not good enough,” meaning there will be a “failure” in anything you try, or that your worth is not on par with others. Most importantly, many people call these beliefs subtle, and they never realise that they keep sabotaging their very progress, even before they attempt to begin. We partner with you to challenge and reframe your negative belief systems into positive affirmations that will promote and encourage you rather than hinder your growth.
Emotional Agility: This means being centred, flexible, and confident during transitions. You will learn to manage emotions during triggers and to function better with setbacks, eventually learning to live your life, rather than having it lived for you by others.
Resilience: The essence of success is not in avoiding falling; rather, it is in gathering the guts to stand up time and time again, thereby showcasing the right mindset. Hence, inner resilience is developed to focus and motivate and to ground oneself when the storm of life comes relentlessly.
Success Mindset Coaching, Designed for You
At InPsychful, our coaching is not one-size-fits-all. We customise one-to-one mentoring courses for your distinct stage, whether you’re at a career crossroads, trying to find your voice, or feeling simply stuck; coaching will help you unleash your fullest self possible.
We don’t just sit back and help you dream. We help you bring it to mind and take the steps required to move forward. Book your first Success Mindset Coaching appointment with InPsychful today; let’s turn “stuck” into unstoppable.
References:
Quinn, Diana & Shurville, Simon. (2009). From little things big things grow: Scaling-up assessment of experiential learning. Campus-Wide Information Systems. 26. 329-344. 10.1108/10650740911004769.
C.Pillai, Girishchandran. (2025). Can Growth Mindset predict the Success of employees in MSME Organisations?. Journal of Informatics Education and Research. 5. 10.52783/jier.v5i2.2639.
Clear, J. (2020, February 4). Marginal gains: This coach improved every tiny thing by 1 percent. James Clear. https://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains
Caldas, Patrícia & Cavalcante, Carlos. (2025). “Small actions, great results”: relationships between voluntarism and citizenship. Cadernos Metrópole. 27. 10.1590/2236-9996.2025-6368172-en.
Martignetti, Tony. (2023). Stay Curious and Evolve as You Grow. 10.4324/9781003364818-10.
Mehta, Clare. (2025). ‘I Know Better What I Want and What I Can Do’: Career Development in Established Adulthood. 10.1093/9780197777763.003.0003.
Pahwa, S., & Khan, N. (2022). Factors Affecting Emotional Resilience in Adults. Management and Labour Studies, 47(2), 216-232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0258042X211072935 (Original work published 2022)
Cen, Zhenyu & Ma, Jinjin & Li, Chunxiao. (2025). Predicting Fear of Failure in University Athletes: The Roles of Mindfulness and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction. SAGE Open. 15. 1-10. 10.1177/21582440251351799.
Mishra, P. S. (2012). Towards Understanding the Role of Emotions in Workplace Performance: A Review and Future Directions. Management and Labour Studies, 37(2), 93-106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0258042X1203700202 (Original work published 2012)