The 1% Solution: A Simple & Effective way to Improve Your Life
Written by Jen - June 25, 2021
Artwork by Sara Hagale
I find that human beings are natural problem solvers. We have an inherent inclination to want to find solutions to not only the large scale issues such as childhood hunger but also to the smallest concern such as keeping open chips fresh. Our desire has been fed, encouraged, and supported with the advent of the internet. We now have at our fingertips streams of “life hacks” and threads that can tell the lay person how to do everything from caulking a tub to rooting your cell phone. This resource has undoubtedly enriched and improved our lives but has unintentional consequences. Our culture has historically had a low tolerance for pain but now we are almost incapable of bearing it leaving us searching for efficient solutions to the issue of pain like we search for reviews on Yelp.
I don’t begrudge people reaching out looking for solutions to their anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, anger, etc. Getting to the point of acknowledging something is wrong and seeking help is the ultimate example of strength in vulnerability. My concerns are sparked when people begin seeking out lightning bolt solutions to potentially complex or layered issues. Don’t get me wrong, for some individuals, one thing makes all the difference in their lives. You hear these stories all the time about people who picked up yoga and were never anxious again or adopted a puppy and their depression melted away. These stories are incredibly uplifting but can also be one sided. They don’t account for the other changes that may have occurred in these individuals’ lives that they themselves may not even be aware of but also these solutions don’t account for the inevitable evolution of life.
Artwork by Marianna Gefen
Life is messy and unpredictable. We cannot be sure of what is going to come, how we are going to be able to approach it, and with what resources we will have at our disposal. Not to mention for most of us, me included, the single solution never comes. Individuals in this group have tried everything with such fervor just hoping that one day we will get interviewed by Oprah on how we turned our life around and are a mega successful something or other by doing just this one thing. Although this seems to be the fate for some, for the rest of us what is the answer? It can’t just be that a select portion of the population is able to move through their times of struggle and everyone else is doomed to a life of low grade depression or persistent anxiety.
After years of toiling over this problem, I have found that the solution can be simplified in a math equation or what I colloquially refer to as the “1% solution”. I found this after trying almost all known skills that herald to be the ultimate solution. If you are anxious: meditate, if you are tired: set a sleeping schedule, if you are depressed: get outside. This process led to deep frustration because when the solution was not life changing in the way it had been advertised the failure would leave me hopeless about any resolution to my state and required me to try to pull myself out of my hopelessness to try again. This cycle can feed our already fragile state and needs to be broken without dropping the drive to improve all together.
We do this by looking honestly and without judgement on the improvements each of these skills make to our lives. For instance having a sleep schedule might not rid you of all of your life weariness but it might give you slightly more energy throughout the day. Meditating might not get rid of all of your anxiety but it might reduce the frequency of racing thoughts and encourage your sleep schedule. Getting outside might not eliminate all of your depression but it might help you feel better for the 5 minutes you watched the sunset. What if these “slight” or “5 minutes” or “encouraged” were done together? This realization is when I started to refer to each of these as 1%. This helped me to conceptualize each of these skills as a portion of the overall improvement to my life. Meaning, any of these life changes can be seen as making a small percentage difference in our overall well being and then if added together can lead to substantial impacts on our lives.
Artwork by Sara Hagale
Not only can these things done together or as regularly as possible make massive changes in our overall well being but can also be those things we lean on when times are the hardest. For instance when I am in pain or when something drastic and unexpected happens in my life, I might not be able to rid myself of these feelings but I know that I will be able to process these feelings safely because I will still shower every morning, put on an outfit that makes me feel good, feed myself food that my body wants, etc. I have dozens of practices that I would consider to be small percentages of the whole that I can use, lean on, and add whenever I need. This of course requires some practice and some patience with yourself to find the things that work for you.
The ultimate benefit of this concept is it can evolve as your life inevitably does. It shouldn’t be static. If something no longer seems to be adding to your life, drop it and see how you feel. Add something else and see if it helps. Don’t be afraid to continually ask yourself how this adds to the overall 100% picture. This will also help you eliminate things that might be subtracting from your overall percentage. This process should be treated with care and may take some time. It is not an overnight solution. The goal is for global and lasting change. That requires patience and as always if you need help, work with a therapist to provide unconditional support. I find that this perspective not only relieves the pressure of having to find the life changing button but it also encourages us to treat everything as having the potential to enrich our lives and add to our fulfillment. It then begs the question if we spend our lives doing small things that are aimed to provide us joy, satisfaction, and enrichment when looking back on that at the end of the day, didn’t we just live the life we are looking for?