{"id":8417,"date":"2014-07-26T19:18:30","date_gmt":"2014-07-27T00:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=8417"},"modified":"2014-07-26T19:18:30","modified_gmt":"2014-07-27T00:18:30","slug":"book-review-the-one-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=8417","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: The One Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ONE-Thing-Surprisingly-Extraordinary-Results\/dp\/1885167776\/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1406418464&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+one+thing\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8418\" alt=\"ar136064600701938\" src=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/ar136064600701938.jpg\" width=\"291\" height=\"463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/ar136064600701938.jpg 291w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/ar136064600701938-188x300.jpg 188w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 291px) 100vw, 291px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;What&#8217;s the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?&#8221;<\/em> \u00a0Gary Keller, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/ONE-Thing-Surprisingly-Extraordinary-Results\/dp\/1885167776\/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1406418464&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+one+thing\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The One Thing<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As a leader, I try to stay laser-focused on the most important thing at all times. \u00a0No matter what I&#8217;m working on or who I&#8217;m working with&#8230;the gospel is always The ONE Thing. \u00a0In examining my systems and strategies, it is evident to those around me that the gospel is my ONE Thing? \u00a0One of my goals this year is to be a better listener..and in turn, a more intentional learner.<\/p>\n<p>Another Christian school principal in the area recommended The ONE Thing by Gary Keller as one of the most impactful books he had read recently. \u00a0While this isn&#8217;t a Christian book, Keller makes several references about spiritual health that lead me to believe that he might be a Christian. \u00a0Either way, the principles of this book are helpful for anyone looking to live a life that really matters&#8230;especially if your focus is on eternity.<\/p>\n<p>I highlighted several things while reading and intend to implement several of these ideas as I&#8217;m putting my schedule together for the coming school year. \u00a0Here are the notes I highlighted&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s the ONE Think you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?<\/li>\n<li>Where I\u2019d had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing, and where my success varied, my focus had too.<\/li>\n<li>Extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.<\/li>\n<li>Extraordinary success is sequential, not simultaneous. \u00a0What starts out linear becomes geometric. \u00a0You do the right thing and then you do the next right ting. \u00a0Over time it adds up, and the geometric potential of success is unleashed.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThere can only be one most important thing. \u00a0Many things may be important, but only one can be the most important.\u201d \u00a0Ross Garber<\/li>\n<li>Everyone has one person who either means the most to them or was the first to influence, train, or manage them.<\/li>\n<li>No one succeeds alone. \u00a0No one.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cSuccess demands singleness of purpose.\u201d Vince Lombardi<\/li>\n<li>The ONE Thing shows up time and again in the lives of the successful because it\u2019s a fundamental truth.<\/li>\n<li>The doors to the world have been flung wide open, and the view that\u2019s available is staggering. Through technology and innovation, opportunities abound and possibilities seem endless. \u00a0As inspiring as this can be, it can be equally overwhelming. \u00a0The unintended consequence of abundance is that we are bombarded with more information and choices in a day than our ancestors received in a \u00a0lifetime. \u00a0Harried and hurried, a nagging sense that we attempt too much and accomplish too little haunts our days.<\/li>\n<li>The ONE Thing sits at the heart of success and is the starting point for achieving extraordinary results.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cThings which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.\u201d \u00a0Johann Wolfgang von Goethe<\/li>\n<li>Achievers always work from a clear sense of priority.<\/li>\n<li>The majority of what you want will come from the minority of what you do.<\/li>\n<li>A few ideas gave me most of my results.<\/li>\n<li>Go Small. \u00a0Don\u2019t focus on being busy; focus on being productive. \u00a0Allow what matters most to drive your day.<\/li>\n<li>Doing the most important thing is always the most important thing.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cTo do two things at once is to do neither.\u201d \u00a0Publilius Syrus<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do; it\u2019s that we feel the need to do too many things in the time we have.<\/li>\n<li>Why would we ever tolerate multitasking when we\u2019re doing our most important work?<\/li>\n<li>If you want to get the most out of your day, do your most important work\u2014your ONE Thing\u2014early.<\/li>\n<li>A balanced life is a lie.<\/li>\n<li>In your effort to attend to all things, everything gets shortchanged and nothing gets its due.<\/li>\n<li>Do you think you can cut a deal with God that time stands still for you, holding off on anything important until you\u2019re ready to participate again?<\/li>\n<li>\u201cImagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. \u00a0The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. \u00a0And you\u2019re keeping all of them in the air. \u00a0But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. \u00a0If you drop it, it will bounce back. \u00a0The other four balls\u2014family, health, friends, integrity\u2014are made of glass. \u00a0If you drop one of those, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.\u201d \u00a0James Patterson, Suzanne\u2019s Diary for Nicholas<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe are kept from our goal, not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.\u201d \u00a0Robert Brault<\/li>\n<li>What you build today will either empower or restrict you tomorrow.<\/li>\n<li>Answers come from questions, and the quality of any answer is directly determined by the quality of the question.<\/li>\n<li>Our purpose sets our priority and our priority determines the productivity our actions produce.<\/li>\n<li>Who we are and where we want to go determine what we do and what we accomplish.<\/li>\n<li>A life lived on purpose is the most powerful of all\u2014and the happiest.<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s the ONE Thing I can do right now so I\u2019m on track to achieve my someday goal?<\/li>\n<li>Time blocking works on the premise that a calendar records appointments but doesn\u2019t care who those appointments are with.<\/li>\n<li>Resting is as important as working.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cEfficiency is doing the right thing. \u00a0Effectiveness is doing the right thing.\u201d \u00a0Peter Drucker<\/li>\n<li>To experience extraordinary results, be a maker in the morning and a manager in the afternoon.<\/li>\n<li>The people who achieve extraordinary results don\u2019t achieve them by working more hours. \u00a0They achieve them by getting more done in the hours they work.<\/li>\n<li>Highly productive people don\u2019t accept the limitations of their natural approach as the final word on their success. \u00a0When they hit a ceiling of achievement, they look for new models and systems, better ways to do things to push them through.<\/li>\n<li>You have to be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things if you want breakthroughs in your life. \u00a0As you travel the path of mastery you\u2019ll find yourself continually challenged to do new things.<\/li>\n<li>Accountable people achieve results others only dream of.<\/li>\n<li>The Four Thieves of Productivity:<br \/>\n1. \u00a0Inability to say \u201cNo\u201d<br \/>\n2. \u00a0Fear of Chaos<br \/>\n3. \u00a0Poor Health Habits<br \/>\n4. \u00a0Environment Doesn\u2019t Support Your Goals<\/li>\n<li>When you say yes to something, it\u2019s imperative that you understand what you are saying no to.<\/li>\n<li>Extraordinary results require you to go small.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &#8220;What&#8217;s the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?&#8221; \u00a0Gary Keller, The One Thing As a leader, I try to stay laser-focused on the most important thing at all times. \u00a0No matter what I&#8217;m working on or who I&#8217;m working with&#8230;the gospel [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,35,16,23,28,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-creative","category-family","category-generosity","category-integrity","category-leadership"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}