Let compounding work in your favor
- Laurie Sidle, OSU Extension Wayne Co.
- June 6, 2025
- 51
My daughter Laurel loves math and works at an investment consulting firm. So it’s no surprise she found a way to talk about building character in financial terms.
Her speech to a group of National Honor Society inductees resonated with me when she gave it several months ago, and it seems particularly relevant in this graduation season.
She referred to a question Ernest Hemingway asked in one of his novels: “How did you go bankrupt?”
The character responds, “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.”
The meaning behind this, Laurel explained, is that it’s not just one decision but a series of moments leading up to the seemingly sudden result.
“And on the other side of the coin, the same can be said for financial independence. It happens in two ways: gradually, then suddenly.”
It’s the backstory behind most notable accomplishments.
Actresses and actors talk about working side jobs and taking small parts before landing the one part that made them successful. Olympians undergo rigorous training for years to compete for minutes or even seconds at the Olympic Games. Business owners work diligently until one day they finally turn a profit.
Laurel said the “suddenly” moment is not always the most fulfilling piece of the journey. The gradual moments of facing and overcoming challenges can be rewarding and memorable.
She spoke of the power of compounding when it comes to character.
“Save early and often is an easy piece of advice that can make a big impact. And while I enjoy the math of it,” she said, “I think this applies beyond the numbers. Make deposits in your character early and often.”
Character is developed over time, “and the earlier you begin making good character deposits, the longer you have to make your good character grow.”
She encouraged her audience to make good decisions daily. Make people around you feel seen by your actions. Choose to speak encouraging words to a friend. Take time out of your day to help a cause greater than yourself. Send a note or make a call to let someone know you are thinking of them.
Some of these moments may feel small or forgettable, she said, but each one is a deposit toward your character. “Each decision you make today is forming you into a certain type of person. You may not see the results right away, but over time, that growth can be noticed.”
It’s not always easy, Laurel pointed out. It can be difficult to develop good character in a challenging environment. But without challenges there would be no opportunity to “flex and grow muscles of perseverance, of doing the right thing.”
Character is built through perseverance, she said, “gradually, then suddenly.” And it doesn’t end with success or achievement.
“Building character requires playing the long game,” Laurel said. “It is a lifetime pursuit. Keep making deposits to your good character. They will grow over time, forming you into a better person, a stronger person and a person who is eager to do what is right even when it is hard, for compounding is a game of both addition and multiplication. You keep adding deposits, and the deposits continue to multiply with you, forming your character.”
Laurel wrapped up her speech with a challenge to her audience to find ways to make deposits for good character. Thank someone who influenced, encouraged or taught you. Find ways to serve with your hands, heart and mind. Be intentional about how you spend your time. Seek excellence in the work ahead of you each day.
“Because what you do today matters for today, but it also matters for who you will be over your lifetime.”
As the author Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.”
We can decide today to make the type of deposits we want to multiply within us so that the factor of time magnifies the very best part of us.
Let compounding work in your favor, Laurel said. “Gradually, then suddenly.”
Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension family and consumer sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or sidle.31@osu.edu.