The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results

by Gary Keller

“What’s the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”

When you want the absolute best chance to succeed at anything you want, your approach should always be the same. Go small.

You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects.

The problem with trying to do too much is that even if it works, adding more to your work and your life without cutting anything brings a lot of bad with it: missed deadlines, disappointing results, high stress, long hours, lost sleep, poor diet, no exercise, and missed moments with family and friends— all in the name of going after something that is easier to get than you might imagine.

When one thing, the right thing, is set in motion, it can topple many things.

The key is over time. Success is built sequentially. It’s one thing at a time.

Technological innovations, cultural shifts, and competitive forces will often dictate that a business’s ONE Thing evolve or transform.

Everyone has one person who either means the most to them or was the first to influence, train, or manage them. No one succeeds alone. No one.

Passion for something leads to disproportionate time practicing or working at it. That time spent eventually translates to skill, and when skill improves, results improve. Better results generally lead to more enjoyment, and more passion and more time is invested. It can be a virtuous cycle all the way to extraordinary results.

“Success demands singleness of purpose.” — Vince Lombardi