Over the holidays I was doing a lot of planning, and reviewing last year’s notes, and I found something that I thought was interesting I wanted to share with you. It’s the combination of the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500, and the statistics were positively alarming. The 2024 Kentucky Derby was a photo finish, with three horses by a nose where there was a fraction of an inch difference between the first, second, and third. You would have to look at the photo over and over to form your own opinion. It was the closest finish ever of three horses.
What was most astonishing was that first place reaped $3.1 million in winnings. Second place reaped a million dollars in winnings and third reaped half a million dollars in earnings. They were a fraction of an inch difference, however, a huge difference in the purse from the winner to the second to the third.
In the 2024 Indianapolis 500, the winner beat second place by 0.35 seconds, a third of a second. The winnings for first place were 4.2 million. The winnings for second place were slightly over a million. That’s a big difference. Now, when you combine the Kentucky Derby with the Indianapolis 500 for 2024, you have a combined difference of 0.35 seconds between first, second, and third in the Kentucky Derby coupled with first and second in the Indianapolis 500. Combined first-place winnings totaled 7.4 million compared to 2 million for second place. That’s a difference of over 5.3 million and a 260% difference in earnings from first to second, a fraction of a second difference, a fraction of an inch or centimeter between three horses. However, a huge difference in results as far as the winning purse.
There’s a great little book titled 212 Degrees. It describes in the book that 211-degree water is very hot, and 212-degree water is boiling. Boiling water creates steam, steam can power a locomotive engine. One degree difference, a huge difference in outcome.
Let’s look at 2025, as you venture through this year, and you’re reviewing your goals, you’re working hard every day to accomplish your goals and dreams. If you’re a leader of an organization, your goal may be to make your team better. Whatever your goals are, start thinking about the tiny fractional changes you can make to deliver a huge difference in the outcomes. One little fractional degree difference every day. One degree of getting better today than you were yesterday. Compounded over 365 days, that could equal a huge difference in earnings, wealth, abundance, time, freedom, friends, team, and the whole works.
Today is a challenge for getting you thinking about how close it is when you get in the minority of greatness, of people striving to be their best. When you start hanging around people who are going to stretch you, the difference between first and second is usually fractional. No one remembers the silver medal winners; they only remember the gold medal winners. In 2025, let’s go for the gold.
COACH MICHAEL DILL is an Award-Winning Certified Business Coach, global speaker, and published author. He is a proud Action Coach Franchise partner as well as the President of Power & Ice Wealth Creation a strategic leadership company that works with business owners, leaders, teams, and entrepreneurs to both develop a systematized and structured organization while accelerating their mindset, efficiencies, and effectiveness to grow both personally and professionally to achieve extraordinary results. He brings more than 40 years of business and entrepreneurial experience in his leadership, team training, and mentoring practice. Businesscoachmichaeldill.com