“Focusing on ONE Thing has a guaranteed consequence: other things don’t get done”
Chapter Pages 220-241
Chapter Title: The Four Thieves
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This chapter spoke directly to my current dilemma. How do I deal with everything else “important” while focusing on my One Thing? The answer is: I don’t because everything else isn’t as important as my One Thing.
This chapter reminded me of the following excerpt from the book called: Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff...
Remind Yourself that When You Die, Your "In Basket" Won't Be Empty
The nature of your "in basket" is that it's meant to have items to be completed in it - it's not meant to be empty. There will always be phone calls that need to be made, projects to complete, and work to be done. In fact, it can be argued that a full "in basket" is essential for success. It means your time is in demand!
This message stuck with me because of the usage of the word “when”, that opened my mind to everything else that followed in the chapter. I happened to read the book at a time where I was doing a LOT to get things done and please everyone, family and clients included.
There are a lot of reasons why people try to get so much done. My reason was that as a young man in business, I always did got a lot accomplished. I was a small time entrepreneur, worked a couple of 9-5’s, and I always made time for my family.
This was the case until shortly after I got into the real estate business. In the beginning I didn’t have a lot to do because I didn’t have a lot of clients, but as I started to learn the business I began to get very busy.
The problem of feeling overwhelmed didn’t start here, there problem started when I started bringing people onto the team to help me with the overflow. Prior to that point I “hustled solo”.
I knew what was going to get done and when it was going to get done and didn’t have to worry about listening to any “reasons/excuses” as to why people procrastinated or simply didn’t follow instructions.
So as I started delegating, the tasks started circling back around to me undone. This left me with three times the work I would of had if I would have just taken it on myself or simply just turned down that opportunity in the first place.
It was at this point (after reading Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff) that I had to remind myself that I’m beginning a legacy and that it’s not going to fall right into place. Everything isn’t going to get done when and how I want it, so I may as well chill out.
Of course I’m still concerned with the final product, but I can’t be overly concerned because ultimately as long as we’re dealing with people, we will never have 100% control.
So much to say on the subject, I encourage all of you “People Pleasers” to read this chapter, and there are more than a few on the team :) I also encourage you all to MAKE it GREAT day, ya dig?
~Matthew
Chapter Highlights
INABILITY TO SAY “NO”
The way to protect what you’ve said yes to and stay productive is to say no to anyone or anything that could derail you.
When you say yes to something, it’s imperative that you understand what you’re saying no to.
“When you think about focusing, you think, ‘Well, focusing is saying yes.’ No! Focusing is about saying no.”
You can’t please everyone, so don’t try.
Remember, saying yes to your ONE Thing is your top priority.
“You can say no with respect, you can say no promptly, and you can say no with a lead to someone who might say yes. But just saying yes because you can’t bear the short-term pain of saying no is not going to help you do the work.”
Learning to say no isn’t a recipe for being a recluse. Just the opposite. It’s a way to gain the greatest freedom and flexibility possible. Your talent and abilities are limited resources. Your time is finite. If you don’t make your life about what you say yes to, then it will almost certainly become what you intended to say no to.
FEAR OF CHAOS
A not-so-funny thing happens along the way to extraordinary results. Untidiness. Unrest. Disarray. Disorder. When we tirelessly work our time block, clutter automatically takes up residence around us.
Focusing on ONE Thing has a guaranteed consequence: other things don’t get done.
When you strive for greatness, chaos is guaranteed to show up.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola warns us that “anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos.” In other words, get used to it and get over it.
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” —Albert Einstein
If you have to beg, then beg. If you have to barter, then barter. If you have to be creative, then be creative. Just don’t be a victim of your circumstances. Don’t sacrifice your time block on the altar of “I just can’t make it work.”
“When you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them.”
POOR HEALTH HABITS
“If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?”
When we keep borrowing against our future by poorly protecting our energy, there is a predictable outcome of either slowly running out of gas or prematurely crashing and burning.
High achievement and extraordinary results require big energy.
Productive people thrive on emotional energy; it fills their heart with joy and makes them light on their feet.
Anyone you know who gets little sleep and appears to be doing great is either a freak of nature or hiding its effects from you. Either way, they aren’t your role model. Protect your sleep by determining when you must go to bed each night and don’t allow yourself to be lured away from it.
If you can have a highly productive day until noon, the rest of the day falls easily into place. That’s positive energy creating positive momentum. Structuring the early hours of each day is the simplest way to extraordinary results.
ENVIRONMENT DOESN’T SUPPORT YOUR GOALS
Your environment must support your goals.
Your environment is simply who you see and what you experience every day. The people are familiar, the places comfortable. You trust these elements of your environment and quite possibly even take them for granted. But be aware. Anyone and anything at any time can become a thief, diverting your attention away from your most important work and stealing your productivity right from under your nose. For you to achieve extraordinary results, the people surrounding you and your physical surroundings must support your goals.
As strong as you think you are, no one is strong enough to avoid the influence of negativity forever.
The people around you may be more important than you think. It’s a fact that you’re likely to pick up some of the attitudes of others by working with them, socializing with them, or simply being around them. From co-workers to friends to family, if they’re generally not positive or fulfilled on the job or away from it, they’ll probably pass on some of their negativity. Attitude is contagious; it spreads easily. As strong as you think you are, no one is strong enough to avoid the influence of negativity forever.
Hanging out with people who seek success will strengthen your motivation and positively push your performance.
No one succeeds alone and no one fails alone. Pay attention to the people around you.
If your environment is so full of distractions and diversions that before you can help yourself you’ve gotten caught doing something you shouldn’t, you won’t get where you need to go.
“The road to success is always under construction.” So don’t allow yourself to be detoured from getting to your ONE Thing. Pave your way with the right people and place.
Your body is an amazing machine, but it doesn’t come with a warranty, you can’t trade it in, and repairs can be costly.
“Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.” —John Carmack