The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results Kindle Edition

I don't even know how or where to begin. Which is ironic because this book is about the opposite.

Ok.

Focus.

Have you stumbled upon books that changed your life around? Have you ever felt the Universe arranged everything for you to be at the right time on your computer, reading the right article that mentioned the perfect book you were meant to read at that specific point in your life? As if it was written specifically for you?

That's how it felt with this book. Now that I'm 2 chapters away from the end, I feel like I don't want it to. It now looks way thicker than when I got it, with almost every few pages dog eared. I've never read any book with so much actionable ideas after each sitting and this just might be the first book I'll consider re-reading. Not because it wasn't understood the first time around, but because I simply want to inundate myself with all its the ideas.

Below are some of the highlights that profoundly resonated with me but I invite you to grab a copy and read the whole book. Its simple, direct, honest and immediately actionable.

1. Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.

2. Achievers always work from a clear sense of priority. Instead of a to do list, you need a success list -- a list that is purposefully created around extraordinary results.

3. The majority of what you want will come from the minority of what you do.

4. Success is actually a short race -- a sprint fueled by discipline just long enough for habit to kick in and take over.

5. It takes an average of 66 days to acquire a new habit.

6. You make doing what matters most a priority when your willpower is at its highest. Do your most important work -- your ONE thing -- early.

7. How we phrase the questions we ask ourselves determines the answers that eventually become our lives.

8. Focusing question: What's the ONE thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

9. Our purpose sets our priority and our priority determines the productivity our actions produce.

10. Who we are and where we want to go determine what we do and what we accomplish.

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

"Going small" is ignoring all the things you could do and doing what you should do. It's recognizing that not all things matter equally and finding the things that matter most. It's a tighter way to connect what you do with what you want. It's realizing that extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.

The way to get the most out of your work and your life is to go as small as possible...

When you go as small as possible, you'll be staring at one thing. And that's the point." ~ Gary Keller from The ONE Thing

This book is phenomenal.

It's a really (!) well written, incredibly simple, concise, practical analysis of the whys and hows of discovering and executing our ONE Thing.

It's packed with Big Ideas.

1. The Domino Effect - Is bigger than you may think.
2. Success Lists - Are better than to-do lists.
3. Extreme Pareto - 80/20 to the max!
4. Habit Formation = Using finite discipline wisely.
5. The Focusing Question - Helps us arrive at The ONE Thing

"When everything feels urgent and important, everything seems equal. We become active and busy, but this doesn't actually move us any closer to success. Activity is often unrelated to productivity, and busyness rarely takes care of business." ~ Gary Keller

I highly recommend it!

To find 250+ more reviews visit http://bit.ly/BrianReviews

Business books are always an interesting problem. Are they a prop to sell consulting gigs? Are they stretched out one note ideas? Or do they pull off something worthwhile and can they really aid someone find the business success they are seeking?

Another aspect of business books is their audience. Are they written for a specific group or a general public? Are they preaching to an already converted choir to confirm their preconceived notions or are they offering fresh insights and trying to broaden the horizons of readers?

This book is authored by the very successful founder of one of the nation's great realtors, Keller-Williams. Gary Keller is targeting those business folks who want to find single minded success - the kinds of self-sacrificing, dedicated, and single-minded people he wants to hire and who will make themselves (and him) a great deal of money. "The One Thing" is based on the statement by Curly in "City Slickers". Of course, Keller adapts it to his purposes. Keller believes in focus, utter dedication to your one thing, and driving to breakthrough barriers to get to your one big purpose. Some might call it obsession. He is not a big believer work life balance - he actually rejects it and calls it a lie.

The book has a couple of interesting printing twists to it as well. For example, the key ideas are printed in red inserts. But the coolest thing is that he has pre-marked the book for you. In other words, the key ideas are underlined in what looks like pencil - as if a previous reader had done it for you. But the pencil marks are printed in. But they don't look like printed underlines, they look like pencil.

I am positive this book can and will work well for its target audience. When I was a younger man, I am sure I would have taken to it like a duck to water or like fire to gasoline. Everything he says here will work if you apply it.

Just remember that everything has a cost. Every success (and every failure) has a price. Nothing comes for free.

In my own view of life, business success and work are important AS A MEANS TO SOMETHING MORE IN LIFE. In my case, I believe first and foremost in family. I hear any number of executives talk about this as they are on their third marriage and fathering their own grandkids. Remember this kind of talk is cheap. Living real life is hard. What's that old saying? "You pays your money and you takes your chances." There is a lot of benefit that comes from having succeeded and getting the space and time that comes from financial success. But it is space and time to do something meaningful and worthwhile. Business success as an END in life is a poor thing. Money as an end is empty.

All your work will be superseded. All the homes you sell will be sold again (or torn down). Your office (or cubicle) will be filled by others. You will be replaced and forgotten by co-workers. But not by your spouse and kids (and grandkids).

So, work hard. Be focused. Have a furious purpose. But make sure it is in service to something actually worthwhile or at the end of it all you will find yourself looking around for the satisfaction and meaning you thought you would find there and discover that you are standing all alone with a pile of cash in a big home with a shiny car - and not much else.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Saline, Michigan.

It was really just one lesson. In every aspect of life prioritize to one thing that is most important, period. Point made, no need to read the book.