One Thing
My discussion with Dave Wheeler, a speaker coach, consultant, and business owner, was very valuable. I met Dave through Toastmasters, a powerful organization that helps to develop your public speaking and leadership skills, and his insights are the perfect addition to what we’ve already been discussing here on the blog.
After a successful career in engineering and manufacturing, in 2009 Dave embraced the entrepreneurial mindset.
“What makes all the difference is focusing on that one thing,” Dave said. “Ask yourself: what one thing will make the completion of all my other tasks easier? Don’t worry about micromanaging every segment of every hour of every day. Instead, worry about how your activities are molding to fit the one thing. Until your one thing is done, everything else is a distraction.”
“I hear you completely, Dave,” I said, “and I agree. But there are many people out there with multiple projects going on, and they don’t know which one to choose as their number one focus. What are your thoughts on that?”
“There is such a thing as a halo effect,” Dave said. “When you get really focused on one thing, a lot of the junk gets thrown away. And those number two and number three projects get pulled along. For example, I work with speakers and consultants on increasing their value. Once they land that big paycheck, a lot of their other initiatives fall into place more easily.”
“The lightbulb just went on, Dave,” I said with a smile. “As someone who likes to understand why people do things, this makes sense. How you do one thing is how you do everything. For me, right now, it’s this book I’m working on. I’ve been working on it for several years, but I know with added focus, I can finish it in the near future. Once I get this book out there and go on my book tour, the benefits for my business will be huge. And most importantly of all, I’m focused on the benefit this book will have to society and how it will help individual people get through challenges on their way to their Mountaintop, their own version of success.”
“You got it,” Dave said with a smile. “Sounds like you have a good plan and have found your one thing.”
Dave is packed with all sorts of wisdom and insight; he’s great.
“What about balance and reducing stress?” I asked. “Doesn’t that get thrown out the window when you are only focusing on one thing? For example, I’m more than halfway done with writing this book, and I’ve been sleeping less as I sacrifice to get this done.”
“Try and get the right amount of sleep, as studies show that enhances your productivity,” Dave said. “But balance is overrated. Setting really good goals and chasing them is the way to go. A lot of people would think that’s work, but if you have something you like and care about, it becomes fun. And keep in mind this doesn’t have to just be a goal in the classic sense. It could be a relationship or person you’re passionate about as well. There are all sorts of fringe benefits to temporarily unbalancing your life in the short-term, because it will make things a heck of a lot easier in the long-run.”
Dave is a very smart man and has helped, mentored, and coached lots of people. Wouldn’t you agree that it makes sense to take his advice and run with it?
Dave Wheeler was featured in Chapter 6 of the award-winning book Reach Your Mountaintop. You can connect with him via his website.
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