The ONE Thing

“What’s the ONE Thing I can do / such that by doing it / everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

Accountable people are results oriented and never defend actions, skill levels, models, systems, or relationships that just aren’t getting the job done.

In the end, putting together a life of extraordinary results simply comes down to getting the most out of what you do, when what you do matters.

One evening an elder Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us. One is Fear. It carries anxiety, concern, uncertainty, hesitancy, indecision and inaction. The other is Faith. It brings calm, conviction, confidence, enthusiasm, decisiveness, excitement and a

Go live a life worth living where, in the end, you’ll be able to say, “I’m glad I did,” not “I wish I had.”

“Until my ONE Thing is done—everything else is a distraction.”

One of our biggest challenges is making sure our life’s purpose doesn’t become a beggar’s bowl, a bottomless pit of desire continually searching for the next thing that will make us happy. That’s a losing proposition.

Implementing new behaviors Filtering distractions Resisting temptation Suppressing emotion Restraining aggression Suppressing impulses Taking tests Trying to impress others Coping with fear Doing something you don’t enjoy Selecting long-term over short-term rewards Every day, without realizing it, we engage in all manner of activities that diminish

Now, again, stop and do the math. One idea out of 100. That is Pareto to the extreme. That’s thinking big, but going very small. That’s applying the ONE Thing to a business challenge in a truly powerful way.