The ONE Thing

The ONE Thing, The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

By Gary Keller with Jay Papasan

Date Review Posted:  March 24, 2013

Authors:  Gary Keller with Jay Papasan

Release Date:  February 2013

Web Site:  http://www.The1Thing.com

FIVE THUMBS UP!

  

Format:  Almost conversational as if Gary Keller was coaching you on a one-on-one situation.  Very easy to follow and understand.

Reason For Reading THIS book:  I am huge believer and supporter of Gary Keller.  I have read his other works such as The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, Shift and Flip.  Everything Keller writes is first class and worthy of your time to read.

Number Of Times I Have Read This Book:  Just received it; only once but will read it again if not also obtaining it on CD.

Brief Summary of Content:   Gary Keller logically develops the belief that you are capable of achieving anything you want as long as you (1) identify what you want and then (2) do only the most import thing that would eventually lead to you achieving what you want or The ONE Thing!  This belief is supported by references to research and studies that have been conducted.  By the end of the book you have a very clear path of what you should be doing every day of your life that will enable you to achieve your biggest goal.  If you focus on “The ONE Thing” you can do such that by doing it everything will be easier or unnecessary.  This book shows you HOW to focus on “The ONE Thing.”

CHAPTER BY CHAPTER; you can learn a lot about a book by the titles of the chapters.

1.  The ONE Thing (“Be like a postage stamp-stick to one thing until you get there.”  Josh Billings)
 
2.  The Domino Effect (“Every great change starts like falling dominoes.”  B J. Thornton)
 
3.  Success Leaves Clues (It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world.”  Og Mandino)

THE LIES, THEY MISLEAD AND DERAIL US 

4.Everything Matters Equally (“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

5.  Multitasking (“To do two things at once is to do neither.”  Publilius Syrus) 

6.  A Disciplined Life (“It’s one of the most prevalent myths of our culture self-discipline.”  Leo Babauta)

7.  Willpower Is Always On Will-Call (“Odysseus understood how weak willpower actually is when he asked his crew to bind him to the mast while sailing by the seductive Sirens.”  Patricia Cohen)

8.  A Balanced Life (“The truth is, balance is bunk.  It is an unattainable pipedream…The quest for balance between work and life, as we’ve come to think of it, isn’t just a losing proposition; it’s a hurtful destructive one.”  Keith H. Hammonds)

9.  Big is Bad (“We are kept from our goal, not by obstacles buy by a clear path to a lesser goal.”  Robert Brault)

THE TRUTH, THE SIMPLE PATH TO PRODUCTIVITY

10.  The focusing Question (“There is an art to clearing away the clutter and focusing on what matters most.  It is simple and it is transferable.  It just requires the courage to take a different approach.”  George Anders)

11.  The Success Habit (“Success is simple.  Do what’s right the right way, at the right time.”  Arnold H. Glasow)

12.  The Path to Great Answers (“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.”  F. M. Alexander)

EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS, UNLOCKING THE POSSIBILITY WITHIN YOU

13.  Live with Purpose (“Life isn’t about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself.”  George Bernard Shaw)

14.  Live by Priority (“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”  Alan Lakein)

16. Live For Productivity (“Productivity isn’t about being a workhorse, keeping busy or burning the midnight oil…It’s more about priorities, planning, and fiercely protecting your time.”  Margarita Tartakovsky)

17.  The Three Commitments (“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.”  George Halas)

18.  The Four Thieves (“Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.”  John Carmack)

19. The Journey (“To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.”  Chinese Proverb)

PUTTING THE ONE THING TO WORK 

“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

About the book:  What did I learn from it?  Just about everything and anything is within my grasp as long as I (1) identify what it is that I want, my BIG WHY in life, and then (2) specific activities I can incorporate in my daily life to focus on The ONE Thing that I do such that by doing it everything will be easier or unnecessary. 

My BIG WHY:  Why do I do the things I do?  My life’s mission is “To help people do what they do to do it better!”  Reading this book and telling others about is definitely The ONE Thing I could and did do at this specific time to help me achieve my life’s mission.

Who Should Read the Book?    Everyone!  This would make a great gift to your children, family and friends.

Final Test:  Would I read the book again?  ABSOLUTELY AND I WILL!

Never Wrestle With A Pig

Never Wrestle With A Pig

By Mark H. McCormack

 

Date Review Posted: March 12, 2013

Authors:  Mark H. McCormack

Release Date:  2000

Web Site:  http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?S=R&wauth=Mark+H+Mccormack&cm_mmc=sem-_-Google-_-authors-_-na&gclid=CI_NvrWj9bUCFQynnQodJDcAHg

FIVE THUMBS UP!  (A case could be made that I would only review the best of the best because if while reading a book it does not hold my interest, I would not finish it and therefore would not review it.)

Format:  McCormack writes as if he were sitting across a table from you sharing a cup of coffee and discussing his experience in the world of Business and Sales.  Very easy and worthwhile read.

Reason For Reading THIS book:  Fell in love with the title; had to read the book; one of my better decisions.

Number Of Times I Have Read This Book:  Once

Brief Summary of Content:   The book is written in a format that enables the reader to read just one chapter at a time; the chapters are not necessarily inner-related meaning each one can stand on its own.  Each chapter is only 3 to 4 pages in length thus making this a great daily reader.  In fact the book contains so much critical information, I would strongly recommend reading just one chapter then ask yourself the following questions:

1.     What can I learn from this chapter?

2.     How does this chapter apply to me and my business?

3.     What can I implement in my business or avoid in my business?

t     You will also find some really great quotes throughout the book on almost every page.  It contains some very critical understandings about conducting business and/or sales that you might not have otherwise thought of.  

The book is divided into 9 sections which are titled:

1.     Giving Yourself A Realty Check

2.     Speed, The Defining Factor

3.     Giving The Workplace A Realty Check

4.     Office Politics

5.     Acquiring A Power Base

6.     Promotions, Demotions, and Other Career Hiccups

7.     Rules for Deal Makers

8.     When You Are In Charge

9.     Etiquette For The New Millennium

The following are individual chapter titles contained in the above sections.  You can learn a great deal by just reading the chapter titles.

·       The Person Who Will Change Your Life Is Not In It Now

·       Beware the Small Defining Moments

·       Measure Your Mental Yardstick for Personal Success

·       Don’t Be Deluded About Your Priorities

·       A Goal Is More Achievable If You Break It Down Into Its Most Manageable Parts

·       Letting Things Go Is A Good Goal, Too

·       People Who Count On Luck Rarely Get Lucky

·       Be As Creative With People As You Are With Your Ideas

·       Get A Crossover Skill (I like this one a lot)

·       Your Job Is Just Another Project

·       Know When To Make An Exception To The Rules

·       Don’t Lower The Bar For Yourself

·       It Is Better To Be A Racehorse Than A Plow Horse (Another personal favorite)

·       End Your Day On Time

·       Pick Up The Pace With The Little Tasks

·       Don’t Bet Against Yourself

·       Put Parkinson’s Law Into Reverse

·       Never Wrestle With A Pig, You Both Get Dirty And The Pig Loves It  (Ten rules to follow)

·       People Who Say They Can Keep A Secret Usually Can’t (or, The Ten Most Toxic Lies in Business)

·       Mistakes Are Not Like Doritos

·       You Don’t Need Ten Good Reasons To Make A Decision

·       How To Recover From A Bad Decision

·       The Goal Is More Work, Not Less

·       Make Friends With Fear, Ignorance, and Sloth

·       It Pays To Overestimate Your Competition

·       Don’t Be Seduced By Big Ideas

·       The Best Ideas Can Be Stolen

·       Don’t Let Brainstorming Kill Your Creativity

·       Find Out Who’s On Your Team

·       Control Your Story Before Others Control It For You

·       It’s Nice To Have Friends In Low Places

·       Feed Your Enemies

·       You Are Being Judged At Every Meeting

·       Winners Know Whom To Trust and Whom To Avoid

·       Don’t Be Afraid To Tackle The Impossible

·       Lose Your Learning Disability

·       Develop A Knack For Good Timing

·       Your Success Depends On How You Take In and Send Out Information

·       It’s Okay To Rub People The Wrong Way  (I’m getting better at this one)

·       Know When To Say “It’s None Of Your Business”

·       Don’t Let Your Brains Become Your Biggest Liability

·       Thinking In Hypotheticals Sharpens The Mind

·       Your Resume Doesn’t Always Reveal The True You

·       Get Paid For Thinking Rather Than Doing

·       Know Your Super Bowl Sunday

·       Don’t Let Your Values Work Against You

·       Every Number One Needs A Loyal Number Two (or, How To Be A Good Lieutenant)

·       Losing Your Boss’s Loyalty Is Never About Business

·       Promotions Are Not About Fairness

·       Don’t Be Demotionally Challenged

·       Stay In The Game When You’ve Been Passed Over

·       Even The Most Tarnished Reputation Can Be Saved

·       A Crisis Doesn’t End Until You Learn From It

·       If Your Client Is Changing, You Should Too

·       What’s Your Talking-to-Listening Ratio

·       People Will Love Your Product If You Let Them Sample It

·       Time In Front Of The Customer Is The Best Time Of All

·       The Best Route Is The Most Direct Route

·       No One Likes Surprises

·       Not All Deal Points Are Created Equal

·       Love Or Leave The Low-Hanging Fruit

·       Customers Need Even More Managing After The Sale

·       Look Beyond The Resume

·       Don’t Let Colleagues Take Each Other For Granted

·       Be Wary Of Unanimous Agreement

·       Co-opt Your Rivals, Don’t Crush Them

·       Don’t Be Afraid To Send Your People To The Penalty Box

·       Unlearn One Acquired Habit A Year

·       The Costs You Can Control Are The Costs That Always Get Out Of Control

·       Some Problems Are Not Worth Knowing

·       Know When To Leave Your Worries Alone

·       Pay Attention To The “Intangibles”

·       Coffee Should Taste Like Coffee

·       Think Like A Parent

·       It’s Okay To Talk To Yourself

·       The Bean Counters Have More Power Than You Imagine (and That’s All Right)

·       Not Every Budget Deserves Your Respect

·       Think Twice Before You Splash Someone (or, Why Every Business Is Like A Small Town)

·       Shrink Your World Into A Small Town

·       Be Nicer To The People Below You, Tougher On The People Above

·       Friends Don’t Ask The Impossible Of Their Friends

·       Develop A Genius For Friendship

·       Reading People Requires More Than One Reading

·       A “Heads-Up” Has Consequences, Too

·       The Boss Can Ask A Stupid Question (and Not Sound Stupid)

·       Learn The Art Of Picking Up The Check

·       You Don’t Need To Tell The World You’re Networking

Who Should Read the Book?    People in business.  People in sales.  People who want to be in business and/or sales. 

Final Test:  Would I read the book again?  ABSOLUTELY.