What’s Your ONE THING?
What is the ONE THING, that the most successful people and companies in the world know with absolute clarity?
They know the ONE THING they do, that few others in the world can do as well, or even come close. And they systematically use it to their advantage.
It’s simple — find what you’re uniquely capable of doing; find people / organisations who will value that; and create ways to systematically fulfil that demand.
Yet not many of us do that.
Why?
Some may not know what’s that ‘One Thing’ they possess. They are Unaware or Unclear.
And some, after having experienced initial success, lose track and focus on many other things instead. They Forget.
Here’s why I’m writing this blog post…
I want to discover and/or remember that ‘One Thing’ for myself; and I want my friends to discover this for themselves too; or be reminded of it.
I am creating a simple exercise — that anyone can initiate:
I will start by first answering that question myself; and writing it down.
Then — I will create the following agreement with friends/colleagues:
To share my opinion of the ‘One Thing’ you possess;
And to have you share your opinion of the ‘One Thing’ I have.
How does it work?
I may initiate by reaching out to you, and have you read this article for context. Or, if you’ve read this article, you may reach out to me.
Once we agree, we’ll thoughtful write an answer beginning with: “The One Thing you are capable of doing — that I don’t see many doing as well, or as fast, or as effectively, or with such ease… is ____________”. And then briefly explain why you say it; and what evidence you have to make this point.
How to use this article?
You can also use this article — to set the context for a similar exercise with others.
You can concentrate your efforts — by sending this out to several people, and have them all work with you on this exercise over a weekend; OR
You can stagger your engagement — perhaps working with one person at a time.
Start by “tagging” someone.
You can start easily — by sending your friend a link to this article;
or — share this link on Facebook/Twitter — and tag them. That’s what I’ll do.
Here’s a shortened link: http://bit.ly/theonething-exercise
Say something like — “Let’s share the One Thing about each other”
This will work when both parties are sincere, familiar, and more importantly — perceptive. If either one party feels that the exchange of information would not be fruitful, it’s perfectly ok. Just say — I’m not ready to participate in this exercise with you now. In the context of this exercise — it’s perfectly ok to decline; even if it’s a close friend and/or colleague. Recognise that not everyone can — at the point that you ask them — is capable of, or can afford the time. This requires a certain degree of ‘felt familiarity’ and deliberation.
Also — consider that sometimes, the people you think can best answer that question for you, may not be as perceptive as someone whom you’ve not considered. Familiarity is not Perceptivity. Your three-day new hire may be able to tell you why he’s drawn to you, while your long-time ex-boss may not.
I hope this is clear, and more importantly, useful. If you have any questions, or contribution to this article and exercise.
