[Creative Orbit] How a Dentist & LSD Led Me to My ONE THING in Life

“Where I’d had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing, and where my success varied, my focus had too.”
―Gary Keller, The ONE Thing

August 20, 2019 — My dentist remembers who I am, which is bizarre because he’s only seen me one other time. Even more impressive, he remembers what book I was reading: “Did you finish How to Win Friends?”

“No,” I say. “I have a bad habit of reading multiple books at once.”

His ears perk up and he sets the drill down with a clatter. “I just read this book and you HAVE to check it out. You can throw away every other self-help book—it’s that good. It’s called One Thing. No, wait…uh…”

He rolls over to the computer and starts pecking at the keyboard. “ The One Thing, that’s it!” We get to talking and before I know it I’ve had a 15-minute conversation about creativity, focus, and philosophy…with my DENTIST.

Ok, I think to myself. I need to buy this book.

Problem: Many Things

The main idea in The One Thing is that success depends entirely on your ability to focus—and focus is determined by how many things you are doing.