Community savings groups have become a key component to community development in rural and developing parts of the world. It's an exciting thing to experience.

The concept is simple, yet profound.

If you save a little bit - consistently - you can end up fistfuls of cash, over time.

I had the opportunity to witness one of these groups meet in a rural Cambodian village this week. It was great to see people recognize that it's possible to save even small amounts and over time, there's enough to leverage for making larger amounts of money.

In the case of rural Cambodia, that means a pig or a goat or a cow that can be sold at a higher price for meat or milk.

A little bit every day, over time, can turn into a lot.

Maybe we can learn something profound from Cambodian savings groups.

• If you save $100 per month - or $3.30 per day - you'll have enough to make a significant purchase after one year. (That's a coffee for most people.)
• If you read 5 pages per day, you'll read approximately 8 books in 12 months time.
• If you increase you workout time by 5 minutes every two weeks, starting at nothing, you'll be working out for an hour per day in 6 months.
• If you drink on can of soda per day, you will consume about 32 pounds of sugar in a year.
• If you take 30 minutes and write 500 words every day, you'll have written the equivalent of approximately 3 medium length novels in a year.

What do we learn from our friends in rural Cambodia?

The trick is not quantity.
Nor is it even quality (at least not for many things).

The trick is consistency.