1%

One percent is a small number that can make a big difference.

It can mean the difference between a passing and a failing grade. It can be all that stands in the way of perfection. It is so small and it shouldn't matter so much. But sometimes it does.

You can receive complements and praise 99% of the time. One harsh criticism out of 100 can be a crushing blow. You can tell yourself that 1% shouldn't take you down so far. But it can.

You can be missing one piece out of a 100 piece puzzle. It is one small 'piece of the puzzle'. But it prevents you from completing the picture. When you look at the whole picture your eye is drawn to the missing piece.

The penny has been taken out of circulation. Now that our cashiers are rounding up and down, one penny either way makes the difference between paying five cents more or five cents less (if you are paying by cash). Those pennies will have a way of adding up.

Monday morning (at 6:14 a.m., to be exact), I cast a wide net. I sent out my resume and samples of my writing to a number of weekly newspapers within my province and beyond. By Tuesday afternoon (at 1:17 p.m., to be exact), I was officially accepted to write for three more papers.

I attained a success rate of 1% within a day and I doubled  my column's exposure. I will take a 1% success rate any day.