“To get through the
hardest journey we need
take only one step at a
time, but we must keep on
stepping.”
—Chinese Proverb
“One step at a time” may be trite, but it’s still true. No matter the objective, no matter the destination, the journey to anything you want always starts with a single step.
When you lift the limits of your thinking, you expand the limits of your life. It’s only when you can imagine a bigger life that you can ever hope to have one.
The challenge is that living the largest life possible requires you not only to think big, but also to take the necessary actions to get there.
Extraordinary results require you to go small.
Getting your focus as small as possible simplifies your thinking and crystallizes what you must do. No matter how big you can think, when you know where you’re going and work backwards to what you need to do to get there, you’ll always discover it begins with going small.
Years ago, I wanted an apple tree on our property. Turns out you can’t buy a fully mature one. The only option I had was to buy a small one and grow it. I could think big, but I had no choice but to start small. So I did, and five years later we had apples. But because I thought as big as I could, guess what? You got it. I didn’t just plant one. Today—we have an orchard.
Your life is like this. You don’t get a fully mature one. You get a small one and the opportunity to grow it—if you want to. Think small and your life’s likely to stay small. Think big and your life has a chance to grow big. The choice is yours. When you choose a big life, by default, you’ll have to go small to get there. You must survey your choices, narrow your options, line up your priorities, and do what matters most. You must go small. You must find your ONE Thing.
There is no surefire thing, but there’s always something, ONE Thing, that out of everything matters more than anything. I’m not saying there will only be one thing, or even the same thing, forever. I’m saying that at any moment in time there can be only ONE Thing, and when that ONE Thing is in line with your purpose and sits atop your priorities, it will be the most productive thing you can do to launch you toward the best you can be.
Actions build on action. Habits build on habit. Success builds on success. The right domino knocks down another and another and another. So whenever you want extraordinary results, look for the levered action that will start a domino run for you. Big lives ride the powerful wave of chain reactions and are built sequentially, which means when you’re aiming for success you can’t just skip to the end. Extraordinary doesn’t work like that. The knowledge and momentum that build as you live the ONE Thing each day, each week, each month, and each year are what give you the ability to build an extraordinary life.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
— T. S. Eliot
But this doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen. 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 action.” The grandson thought about it for a moment and then meekly asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
Your journey toward extraordinary results will be built above all else on faith. It’s only when you have faith in your purpose and priorities that you’ll seek out your ONE Thing. And once certain you know it, you’ll have the personal power necessary to push you through any hesitancy to do it. Faith ultimately leads to action, and when we take action we avoid the very thing that could undermine or undo everything we’ve worked for—regret.
ADVICE FROM A FRIEND
On your way to living a life worth living, doing your best to succeed at what matters most to you not only rewards you with success and happiness but with something even more precious. No regrets.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn ’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
—Mark Twain
Effort is important, for without it you will never succeed at your highest level. Achievement is important, for without it you will never experience your true potential. Pursuing purpose is important, for unless you do, you may never find lasting happiness. Step out on faith that these things are true. 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 woulda, coulda, shouldas.
Live your life to minimize the regrets you might have at the end.
Too much time spent making a living over building a life caused too much remorse.
“When people look back on their lives, it is the things they have not done that generate the greatest regret.... People’s actions may be troublesome initially; it is their inactions that plague them most with long-term feelings of regret.”
Honoring our hopes and pursuing productive lives through faith in our purpose and priorities is the message from our elders. From the wisest position they’ll ever have comes their clearest message. No regrets.
So make sure every day you do what matters most. When you know what matters most, everything makes sense. When you don’t know what matters most, anything makes sense. The best lives aren’t led this way.
SUCCESS IS AN INSIDE JOB
So, how do you live a life of no regrets? The same way your journey to extraordinary results begins. With purpose, priority, and productivity; with the knowledge that regret must be avoided, and can be; with your ONE Thing at the top of your mind and the top of your schedule; with a single first step we can all take. I believe the best way to share this is in a story.
One evening, a young boy hopped up on his father’s lap and whispered, “Dad, we don’t spend enough time together.” The father, who dearly loved his son, knew in his heart this was true and replied, “You’re right and I’m so sorry. But I promise I’ll make it up to you. Since tomorrow is Saturday, why don’t we spend the entire day together? Just you and me!” It was a plan, and the boy went to bed that night with a smile on his face, envisioning the day, excited about the adventurous possibilities with his Pops. The next morning the father rose earlier than usual. He wanted to make sure he could still enjoy his ritual cup of coffee with the morning paper before his son awoke, wound up and ready to go. Lost in thought reading the business section, he was caught by surprise when suddenly his son pulled the newspaper down and enthusiastically shouted, “Dad, I’m up. Let’s play!” The father, although thrilled to see his son and eager to start the day together, found himself guiltily craving just a little more time to finish his morning routine. Quickly racking his brain, he hit upon a promising idea. He grabbed his son, gave him a huge hug, and announced that their first game would be to put a puzzle together, and when that was done, “we’ll head outside to play for the rest of the day.” Earlier in his reading, he had seen a full-page ad with a picture of the world. He quickly found it, tore it into little pieces,and spread them out on the table. He found some tape for his son and said, “I want to see how fast you can put this puzzle together.” The boy enthusiastically dove right in, while his father, confident that he had now bought some extra time, buried himself back in his paper.
Within minutes, the boy once again yanked down his father’s newspaper and proudly announced, “Dad, I’m done!” The father was astonished. For what lay in front of him—whole, intact, and complete—was the picture of the world, back together as it was in the ad and not one piece out of place. In a voice mixed with parental pride and wonder, the father asked, “How on earth did you do that so fast?” The young boy beamed. “It was easy, Dad! I couldn’t do it at first and I started to give up, it was so hard. But then I dropped a piece on the floor, and because it’s a glass-top table, when I looked up I saw that there was a picture of a man on the other side. That gave me an idea! “When I put the man together, the world just fell into place.”
A starting point for any challenge we face personally or professionally. The ONE Thing we must all understand if we are to achieve extraordinary results at our highest level possible. Undoubtedly. Unquestionably. Success is an inside job.
Put yourself together, and your world falls into place. When you bring purpose to your life, know your priorities, and achieve high productivity on the priority that matters most every day, your life makes sense and the extraordinary becomes possible.
All success in life starts within you. You know what to do. You know how to do it. Your next step is simple. You are the first domino.
PUTTING THE ONE THING TO WORK
“In delay there lies no plenty.”
-William Shakespeare
For brevity’s sake, I’ll shorten the Focusing Question, so be sure to add “... such that by doing it everything will be easier or unnecessary?” at the end of each question!
YOUR PERSONAL LIFE
Let the ONE Thing bring clarity to the key areas of your life. Here’s a short sampling.
What’s the ONE Thing I can do this week to discover or affirm my life’s purpose... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do in 90 days to get in the physical shape I want... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do today to strengthen my spiritual faith... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do to find time to practice the guitar 20 minutes a day... ? Knock five strokes off my golf game in 90 days... ? Learn to paint in six months... ?
YOUR FAMILY
Use the ONE Thing with your family for fun and rewarding experiences. Here are some options.
What’s the ONE Thing we can do this week to improve our marriage... ?
What’s the ONE Thing we can do every week to spend more quality family time together... ?
What’s the ONE Thing we can do tonight to support our kid’s schoolwork... ?
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to make our next vacation the best ever... ? Our next Christmas the best ever... ? Thanksgiving the best ever... ?
Please know that these are simply examples. If they apply to you personally then great. If not, then use them to prompt you to discover what areas you might explore that matter to you. And don’t forget time blocking. Time block with yourself to make sure the things that matter get done and the activities that matter get mastered. In some cases, you’ll want to block time to find your answer and, other times you’ll just need to block time to implement it.
Now, let’s go to work and see how you might take the power of the ONE Thing with you.
YOUR JOB
Put the ONE Thing to work taking your professional life to the next level. Here’s a few ways to get started.
What’s the ONE Thing I can do today to complete my current project ahead of schedule... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do this month to produce better work... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do before my next review to get the raise I want... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do everyday to finish my work and still get home on time... ?
YOUR WORK TEAM
Pull the ONE Thing into your work with others. Whether you’re a manager, executive, or even a business owner, bring ONE Thing thinking into your everyday work situations to drive productivity upward. Here are some scenarios to consider.
In any meeting ask, “What’s the ONE Thing we can accomplish in this meeting and end early... ?
In building your team ask, What’s the ONE Thing I can do in the next six months to find and develop incredible talent... ?
In planning for the next month, year, or five years ask, What’s the ONE Thing we can do right now to accomplish our goals ahead of schedule and under budget... ?
In your department or at the highest company level ask, What’s the ONE Thing we can do in the next 90 days to create a ONE Thing culture... ?
Again, these are merely examples to get you thinking about the possibilities. And, just as in your personal life, once you’ve decided what matters most, professional time blocking becomes your way of making sure it gets done.
An appointment with yourself is the surest path to ensuring you achieve extraordinary results.
Keep in mind that it takes more than reading the book and a few conversations or mentions in a meeting to make The ONE Thing a new habit in your life or in the lives of those around you. You know from reading the book that it takes on average 66 days to create a new habit, so approach this accordingly. To ignite your life you must focus on ONE Thing long enough for it to catch fire.
Let’s look at a few other areas where The ONE Thing might make a real difference.
YOUR NON-PROFIT
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to fund our annual financial needs... ? Serve twice as many people... ? Double our number of volunteers... ?
YOUR SCHOOL
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to decrease our dropout rate to zero... ? Raise our test scores by 20 percent... ? Increase our graduation rate to 100 percent... ? Double our parent participation... ?
YOUR PLACE OF WORSHIP
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to improve our worship experience... ? Double our mission outreach success... ? Max out our attendance... ? Achieve our finance goals... ?
YOUR COMMUNITY
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to improve our sense of community... ? Help the homebound... ? Double our volunteerism... ? Double voter turnout... ?
The ONE Thing forces you to think big, work things through to create a list, prioritize that list so that a geometric progression can happen, and then hammer away on the first thing—the ONE Thing that starts your domino run.
So be prepared to live a new life! And remember that the secret to extraordinary results is to ask a very big and specific question that leads you to one very small and tightly focused answer.
If you try to do everything, you could wind up with nothing. If you try to do just ONE Thing, the right ONE Thing, you could wind up with everything you ever wanted. The ONE Thing is real. If you put it to work, it will work. So don’t delay. Ask yourself the question, “What’s the ONE Thing I can do right now to start using The ONE Thing in my life such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
And make doing the answer your first ONE Thing! Onward...
Gary Keller
—Chinese Proverb
“One step at a time” may be trite, but it’s still true. No matter the objective, no matter the destination, the journey to anything you want always starts with a single step.
When you lift the limits of your thinking, you expand the limits of your life. It’s only when you can imagine a bigger life that you can ever hope to have one.
The challenge is that living the largest life possible requires you not only to think big, but also to take the necessary actions to get there.
Extraordinary results require you to go small.
Getting your focus as small as possible simplifies your thinking and crystallizes what you must do. No matter how big you can think, when you know where you’re going and work backwards to what you need to do to get there, you’ll always discover it begins with going small.
Years ago, I wanted an apple tree on our property. Turns out you can’t buy a fully mature one. The only option I had was to buy a small one and grow it. I could think big, but I had no choice but to start small. So I did, and five years later we had apples. But because I thought as big as I could, guess what? You got it. I didn’t just plant one. Today—we have an orchard.
Your life is like this. You don’t get a fully mature one. You get a small one and the opportunity to grow it—if you want to. Think small and your life’s likely to stay small. Think big and your life has a chance to grow big. The choice is yours. When you choose a big life, by default, you’ll have to go small to get there. You must survey your choices, narrow your options, line up your priorities, and do what matters most. You must go small. You must find your ONE Thing.
There is no surefire thing, but there’s always something, ONE Thing, that out of everything matters more than anything. I’m not saying there will only be one thing, or even the same thing, forever. I’m saying that at any moment in time there can be only ONE Thing, and when that ONE Thing is in line with your purpose and sits atop your priorities, it will be the most productive thing you can do to launch you toward the best you can be.
Actions build on action. Habits build on habit. Success builds on success. The right domino knocks down another and another and another. So whenever you want extraordinary results, look for the levered action that will start a domino run for you. Big lives ride the powerful wave of chain reactions and are built sequentially, which means when you’re aiming for success you can’t just skip to the end. Extraordinary doesn’t work like that. The knowledge and momentum that build as you live the ONE Thing each day, each week, each month, and each year are what give you the ability to build an extraordinary life.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
— T. S. Eliot
But this doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen. 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 action.” The grandson thought about it for a moment and then meekly asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
Your journey toward extraordinary results will be built above all else on faith. It’s only when you have faith in your purpose and priorities that you’ll seek out your ONE Thing. And once certain you know it, you’ll have the personal power necessary to push you through any hesitancy to do it. Faith ultimately leads to action, and when we take action we avoid the very thing that could undermine or undo everything we’ve worked for—regret.
ADVICE FROM A FRIEND
On your way to living a life worth living, doing your best to succeed at what matters most to you not only rewards you with success and happiness but with something even more precious. No regrets.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn ’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
—Mark Twain
Effort is important, for without it you will never succeed at your highest level. Achievement is important, for without it you will never experience your true potential. Pursuing purpose is important, for unless you do, you may never find lasting happiness. Step out on faith that these things are true. 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 woulda, coulda, shouldas.
Live your life to minimize the regrets you might have at the end.
Too much time spent making a living over building a life caused too much remorse.
“When people look back on their lives, it is the things they have not done that generate the greatest regret.... People’s actions may be troublesome initially; it is their inactions that plague them most with long-term feelings of regret.”
Honoring our hopes and pursuing productive lives through faith in our purpose and priorities is the message from our elders. From the wisest position they’ll ever have comes their clearest message. No regrets.
So make sure every day you do what matters most. When you know what matters most, everything makes sense. When you don’t know what matters most, anything makes sense. The best lives aren’t led this way.
SUCCESS IS AN INSIDE JOB
So, how do you live a life of no regrets? The same way your journey to extraordinary results begins. With purpose, priority, and productivity; with the knowledge that regret must be avoided, and can be; with your ONE Thing at the top of your mind and the top of your schedule; with a single first step we can all take. I believe the best way to share this is in a story.
One evening, a young boy hopped up on his father’s lap and whispered, “Dad, we don’t spend enough time together.” The father, who dearly loved his son, knew in his heart this was true and replied, “You’re right and I’m so sorry. But I promise I’ll make it up to you. Since tomorrow is Saturday, why don’t we spend the entire day together? Just you and me!” It was a plan, and the boy went to bed that night with a smile on his face, envisioning the day, excited about the adventurous possibilities with his Pops. The next morning the father rose earlier than usual. He wanted to make sure he could still enjoy his ritual cup of coffee with the morning paper before his son awoke, wound up and ready to go. Lost in thought reading the business section, he was caught by surprise when suddenly his son pulled the newspaper down and enthusiastically shouted, “Dad, I’m up. Let’s play!” The father, although thrilled to see his son and eager to start the day together, found himself guiltily craving just a little more time to finish his morning routine. Quickly racking his brain, he hit upon a promising idea. He grabbed his son, gave him a huge hug, and announced that their first game would be to put a puzzle together, and when that was done, “we’ll head outside to play for the rest of the day.” Earlier in his reading, he had seen a full-page ad with a picture of the world. He quickly found it, tore it into little pieces,and spread them out on the table. He found some tape for his son and said, “I want to see how fast you can put this puzzle together.” The boy enthusiastically dove right in, while his father, confident that he had now bought some extra time, buried himself back in his paper.
Within minutes, the boy once again yanked down his father’s newspaper and proudly announced, “Dad, I’m done!” The father was astonished. For what lay in front of him—whole, intact, and complete—was the picture of the world, back together as it was in the ad and not one piece out of place. In a voice mixed with parental pride and wonder, the father asked, “How on earth did you do that so fast?” The young boy beamed. “It was easy, Dad! I couldn’t do it at first and I started to give up, it was so hard. But then I dropped a piece on the floor, and because it’s a glass-top table, when I looked up I saw that there was a picture of a man on the other side. That gave me an idea! “When I put the man together, the world just fell into place.”
A starting point for any challenge we face personally or professionally. The ONE Thing we must all understand if we are to achieve extraordinary results at our highest level possible. Undoubtedly. Unquestionably. Success is an inside job.
Put yourself together, and your world falls into place. When you bring purpose to your life, know your priorities, and achieve high productivity on the priority that matters most every day, your life makes sense and the extraordinary becomes possible.
All success in life starts within you. You know what to do. You know how to do it. Your next step is simple. You are the first domino.
PUTTING THE ONE THING TO WORK
“In delay there lies no plenty.”
-William Shakespeare
For brevity’s sake, I’ll shorten the Focusing Question, so be sure to add “... such that by doing it everything will be easier or unnecessary?” at the end of each question!
YOUR PERSONAL LIFE
Let the ONE Thing bring clarity to the key areas of your life. Here’s a short sampling.
What’s the ONE Thing I can do this week to discover or affirm my life’s purpose... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do in 90 days to get in the physical shape I want... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do today to strengthen my spiritual faith... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do to find time to practice the guitar 20 minutes a day... ? Knock five strokes off my golf game in 90 days... ? Learn to paint in six months... ?
YOUR FAMILY
Use the ONE Thing with your family for fun and rewarding experiences. Here are some options.
What’s the ONE Thing we can do this week to improve our marriage... ?
What’s the ONE Thing we can do every week to spend more quality family time together... ?
What’s the ONE Thing we can do tonight to support our kid’s schoolwork... ?
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to make our next vacation the best ever... ? Our next Christmas the best ever... ? Thanksgiving the best ever... ?
Please know that these are simply examples. If they apply to you personally then great. If not, then use them to prompt you to discover what areas you might explore that matter to you. And don’t forget time blocking. Time block with yourself to make sure the things that matter get done and the activities that matter get mastered. In some cases, you’ll want to block time to find your answer and, other times you’ll just need to block time to implement it.
Now, let’s go to work and see how you might take the power of the ONE Thing with you.
YOUR JOB
Put the ONE Thing to work taking your professional life to the next level. Here’s a few ways to get started.
What’s the ONE Thing I can do today to complete my current project ahead of schedule... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do this month to produce better work... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do before my next review to get the raise I want... ?
What’s the ONE Thing I can do everyday to finish my work and still get home on time... ?
YOUR WORK TEAM
Pull the ONE Thing into your work with others. Whether you’re a manager, executive, or even a business owner, bring ONE Thing thinking into your everyday work situations to drive productivity upward. Here are some scenarios to consider.
In any meeting ask, “What’s the ONE Thing we can accomplish in this meeting and end early... ?
In building your team ask, What’s the ONE Thing I can do in the next six months to find and develop incredible talent... ?
In planning for the next month, year, or five years ask, What’s the ONE Thing we can do right now to accomplish our goals ahead of schedule and under budget... ?
In your department or at the highest company level ask, What’s the ONE Thing we can do in the next 90 days to create a ONE Thing culture... ?
Again, these are merely examples to get you thinking about the possibilities. And, just as in your personal life, once you’ve decided what matters most, professional time blocking becomes your way of making sure it gets done.
An appointment with yourself is the surest path to ensuring you achieve extraordinary results.
Keep in mind that it takes more than reading the book and a few conversations or mentions in a meeting to make The ONE Thing a new habit in your life or in the lives of those around you. You know from reading the book that it takes on average 66 days to create a new habit, so approach this accordingly. To ignite your life you must focus on ONE Thing long enough for it to catch fire.
Let’s look at a few other areas where The ONE Thing might make a real difference.
YOUR NON-PROFIT
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to fund our annual financial needs... ? Serve twice as many people... ? Double our number of volunteers... ?
YOUR SCHOOL
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to decrease our dropout rate to zero... ? Raise our test scores by 20 percent... ? Increase our graduation rate to 100 percent... ? Double our parent participation... ?
YOUR PLACE OF WORSHIP
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to improve our worship experience... ? Double our mission outreach success... ? Max out our attendance... ? Achieve our finance goals... ?
YOUR COMMUNITY
What’s the ONE Thing we can do to improve our sense of community... ? Help the homebound... ? Double our volunteerism... ? Double voter turnout... ?
The ONE Thing forces you to think big, work things through to create a list, prioritize that list so that a geometric progression can happen, and then hammer away on the first thing—the ONE Thing that starts your domino run.
So be prepared to live a new life! And remember that the secret to extraordinary results is to ask a very big and specific question that leads you to one very small and tightly focused answer.
If you try to do everything, you could wind up with nothing. If you try to do just ONE Thing, the right ONE Thing, you could wind up with everything you ever wanted. The ONE Thing is real. If you put it to work, it will work. So don’t delay. Ask yourself the question, “What’s the ONE Thing I can do right now to start using The ONE Thing in my life such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
And make doing the answer your first ONE Thing! Onward...
Gary Keller
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