What is your ‘one thing’?

The power to focus on just one thing is essential. ‘The one thing’ is the title of best seller by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan. The book is a great read. I got the chance to listen to it on audio and it is a remarkable book https://youtu.be/YrhRWy1L_D8 

What is this all about?

So what is this great book all about and it’s relevance to entrepreneurs? More times than not, we focus on too many things at the same time rather one at a time. The book also debunks the idea of multi tasking. Yes, we may do 2 or more non complex tasks such as walking and listening to music, but the more complex the tasks are, the more difficult to switch between them. It also means that you lose time in moving between tasks.

The authors believe it is better to master one act at a time. They suggest picking the area in which you are good at, spending time improving until you are at your best, then continue to improve.

Balance? What balance?

They also discount the idea of having a balanced life. That there is no balance, you need to focus on what is best for you or that you can do better than anyone else.

The ‘one thing’ can lead to a domino effect. Hence the question is what is the ‘one thing’ that you can do to make a difference to your life. For every area of your life, always ask the question ‘ what is the one thing that I can do to make a difference’ . You need to find your ‘one main purpose’ and let everything else you do drive you to that goal.

Be an expert

It seems sometimes difficult in these days of multitasking and trying not to put all our eggs in one basket. Of course we want to do a variety of things. The real reason for the ‘one thing’ idea or philosophy is that we live in a time of great specialisation. Becoming a generalist will not be enough. We need to be known for doing that one thing, but doing that thing so well that we are experts in our field. Doing that one thing and doing it well may lead to other opportunities, but the focus has to be on that main purpose.

A writer, singer, artist or an athlete that focuses on his / her craft to become the very best can have other opportunities that are derived from that source. The great Michael Jordan focused on basketball even though he is a talented golfer and baseball player. Same with Michael Phelps in swimming. There are too many examples of this as well.

Problem for the multi-talented

The difficult part for most talented people is finding the ‘one thing’ they want to focus on to the exclusion of all the other things. This can be tough, hence a lot of time and attention needs to be put into place to select the right ‘thing’ to focus on.

If money is not an issue, what is that ‘one thing’ that you want the world to know you for? The one thing that will make you stand out and in years to come, the world will still be talking about your contributions.

The great 20th century industrialist, Andrew Carnegie also believed that it is better to put all your eggs in one basket and watch the basket with all your vigour. Specialisation has been the major contributor to industrial revolution and eventual development of most advanced economies.

As we step into 2022, I hope you will focus intently on your ‘one thing’. This is to your success.

Look for and find the one thing for you.

You may be interested in https://www.enterprisedoctors.com/the-importance-of-thinking-only-of-the-next-mile/