I think this is life in a nutshell. The actions we take will invariably lead to bigger results down the road. Whether they be positive or negative.
That said, as a young kid, I marvelled at the power of exponential growth via percentages when I was presented with that quiz scenario of "taking a lump sum amount of allowance or starting with 1 cent a day and doubling it everyday for a month".
That was probably when I realised, in my own little way, that compounding brought about huge results.