1° Principle

The breakthrough moment someone achieves is difficult to put into words. It’s hard to see a breakthrough and focus on anything but the breakthrough. People assume an author just became a New York Times best-selling author, or people assume an athlete could suddenly win an Olympic Gold medal, or a new actor can burst onto the scene and star in a timeless film. People see the breakthrough but don’t immediately think about the years of grit, endurance, and motivation that led to this breakthrough. Dissecting what causes a breakthrough in a human’s life is difficult. It’s easier to explain the elementary example of the 1° Principle to showcase how breakthroughs happen.

Water at 33° Fahrenheit is just water. Make it one degree colder and that cold water turns into solid ice. From 33° F to 32° F the breakthrough happens. Water at 211° Fahrenheit is hot water. Make it one degree warmer and that hot water boils and turns into gas. From 211° to 212° another breakthrough happens. Each breakthrough is a complete change of state. From liquid to solid or from liquid to gas water breaks through and alters its composition.

The example of water shows how dramatically a breakthrough can happen. It shows that a 1° difference makes all of the difference in the world. Water will not change its state until it reaches the threshold temperature needed to move between liquid, solid, or gas. 5° too warm or too cold and water will remain unchanged to the human eye. But to the water itself, the molecules are preparing themselves with energy to undergo the status change once they reach the pivotal temperature, once they reach their breakthrough.

The 1° Principle is an easy and effective illustration to use when discussing breakthroughs and how they ultimately occur. What is hidden is all of the work leading up to the breakthrough, but without all of the work, no breakthrough would have happened. No status change would have happened. It also shows the importance of 1° and how something profound can happen when 1 more degree is included. 1° is the difference between water being a liquid or moving to a gas and is the difference between water being a liquid or becoming a solid. 1° in your own life can mean the difference between experiencing an exceptional change of state in any of the physical, mental, or emotional realms. This principle is a constant reminder that the small actions, efforts, and thoughts matter and they will eventually compound to help you find your breakthrough. 1° matters.