The ONE Thing

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Things I Highlighted is a bulleted list of particular sentences in a book that stuck out to me. These cannot be viewed as general summaries of books, but rather parts of books that struck me in a way that demanded more of my attention. Typically I share one thing I highlighted from each chapter, so they will appear in the same order they appear in the book. This version of Things I Highlighted will cover The ONE Thing, a book detailing the surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results.

Part I: The Lies: They Mislead and Derail Us.

  • We lose our willpower not because we think about it but because we don't. Without appreciating that it can come and go, we let it do exactly that. Without intentionally protecting it every day, we allow ourselves to go from a will and a way to no will and no way. If success is what we're after, this won't work.

    • So how do you put your willpower to work? You think about it. Pay attention to it. Respect it. You make doing what matters most a priority when your willpower is at its highest. In other words, you give it the time of day it deserves.

Part II: The Truth: The Simple Path to Productivity.

  • Most people are familiar with the Chinese proverb "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." They just never stop to fully appreciate that if this is true, then the wrong first step begins a journey that could end as far as two thousand miles from where they want to be. The Focusing Question helps keep your first step from being a mistake:

    • "What's the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"

Part III: Extraordinary Results: Unlocking the Possibilities Within You.

  • If you could go back in time and talk to the 18-year-young you or leap forward and visit with the 80-year-old you, who would you want to take advice from? It's an interesting proposition.

    • 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." A life worth living might be measured in many ways, but the one way that stands above all others is living a life of no regrets. Life is too short to pile up would, coulda, shouldas.