If you've ever been to Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney), in Orlando, you have probably seen "The Dancing Guy". He can't be missed with his colorful outfits, signature cap, and constant dancing to the music that inhabits every corner of the small Disney-created city. With his unconventional appearance and one strong dance move, many onlookers wonder if he is playing with a full deck. The truth is he has managed to master one of the secrets of life. Discipline.

He always looks happy and content. He is in great shape for his age. He is a minor celebrity with a facebook page and a following. His name is Eddy Maserati.  

Eddy shows up almost every night at Disney Springs to dance. In an interview in the Orlando Sentinel, he mentions that he tried to exercise at a gym and didn't like it. He loves to dance. So he does. Almost. Every. Night. 

He found the thing he enjoys and he does it every day. He has a routine that he follows, and he has been able to also combine it with the joy he finds with meeting and interacting with people. He dances with a purpose.

Routine is important to meet the demands of life, and deal with the inconsistencies. Routine allows for us to deal better with the surprises in life that inevitably arise. Routine also allows for the compounding effect from habitually doing something every day. It's the best way I've found to get things done, and although I struggle with consistency and routine like many, I've not found a better way to accomplish goals. 

Recently, I was trying to get through a book on leadership. Heady stuff. I kept looking at it on my desk and didn't pick it up. I knew it would be a good part of my professional development, but kept thinking that I needed to read multiple chapters in order to get through it. No luck. It stayed there for about three or four weeks with only a small portion read. I decided to change my tactics.

I picked the book up one day and read one section and put it down, resisting the urge to keep reading. The next day I read another section. Each day the reading only took about ten minutes, but after a couple of weeks, I was done with half of the book. I'm sure if I had tried to read more each day, it would still be sitting there unread.

This is just my story about the compounding effect, but I know in every aspect of our life, with routine, consistency, and dividing into smaller, manageable tasks, we can accomplish large goals in a reasonable time period.   

Let's all Dance Like We Mean It and take advantage of the compound effect in our lives.