✨ The 1% Journal

Chapter 1 – The Forgotten Book

Marc was 32 and felt stuck.
Every year, the same resolutions. Every year, the same failures.
Quit smoking. Start working out. Learn a language. Write a book. Nothing lasted more than three weeks.

One evening, while cleaning his apartment, he found an old, dusty book he had never opened.
Out of curiosity, he sat down and read ten pages. Just ten.

When he closed the book, he felt something strange: a small spark, as if this little gesture mattered.
He opened a brand-new notebook and wrote:

“Today: ten pages. My first 1%.”

Chapter 2 – The Black Notebook

This notebook became his secret pact.
Every day, one line. Every day, a small step forward.

No grand revolutions, no overwhelming promises.
Just one rule: 1% more, every day.

Chapter 3 – The Books Pile Up

He kept going.
Ten pages a day. Then fifteen. Then twenty.

A month later, he had finished two books.
By the end of the year: twenty-seven.

Biographies, essays, novels. Each book added an invisible brick to his mind.

Chapter 4 – Listening Differently

The following year, he turned his commutes into a moving classroom.
One podcast a day: psychology, economics, philosophy, history, languages.

After each episode, he scribbled a line in his notebook.
Soon, his conversations became deeper, more engaging.

Chapter 5 – The Language of the World

Marc had always dreamed of traveling. So he started with ten minutes of English per day.
Then 15. Then 20.

One year later, he could understand podcasts in English.
Two years later, he picked up Spanish.
Three years later, Italian.

Every word learned was a seed planted.

Chapter 6 – The Body Follows

At first, Marc hated sports.
So he wrote in his notebook: 5 minutes a day.

Push-ups, stretches. That’s it. Then he added one minute per week.
One year later, he could run 5 km without stopping.
Two years later, he discovered jump rope and made it his daily ritual.

Little by little, his body changed—but more importantly, he learned to trust himself.

Chapter 7 – Others

One day, leaving the grocery store, he helped an elderly woman carry her bags. Ten minutes of his time, nothing more.

In his notebook, he wrote:
“Today: 1% for someone else.”

In the weeks that followed, he sought out more moments like this: holding doors, offering coffee, giving his time.
Eventually, he walked into a local charity.

At first, just one hour a month. Then one hour a week.
Volunteering became as regular as reading or working out.

Chapter 8 – Five Years of 1%

Time passed.
Five years of tiny victories written down in a now battered notebook.

Marc spoke three languages.
He had read hundreds of books.
His body was strong and resilient.
And every week, he gave his time to his community.

He had changed—inside and out.

Chapter 9 – The Friend from the Past

One evening, leaving a volunteer meeting, he ran into Paul, an old friend.

Paul stared at him.
— Excuse me… do I know you?
— Paul? It’s me, Marc.

Paul froze. Marc had changed so much he was barely recognizable.

— But… how did you do it?

Marc smiled, pulled out his old, worn notebook, and simply said:
— I started with ten pages. Then I just kept going—1% a day.

Conclusion

Marc’s story reminds us of a simple truth: discipline doesn’t begin with big revolutions, but with tiny habits.
Ten pages. One podcast. Ten minutes of exercise. One kind gesture.

1% a day. Five years later, a transformed life.

👉 What if today, you started your very first 1%?