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No matter how organized you think you are, some of your “things” occasionally get misplaced. Maybe it’s your eyeglasses. Or your car keys. Or the TV remote. Or a favorite recipe. Or that book you were reading.
And here’s an eternal verity: whatever you’re searching for will be found only if you keep looking in one more place after another. Still missing those car keys? You’re going nowhere unless you apply the “one more” principle in your pursuit.
That’s the essence of The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success by entrepreneur and performance coach Ed Mylett.
Don’t be misled by the apparent simplicity of the “one more” principle. Yes, the principle is uncomplicated. But a lot of people seem to ignore it.
Isn’t it funny how “obvious” and “oblivious” are so close?
As coach to top athletes, executives, and entertainers, Ed offers strategies that can be used by anyone seeking more peace and life satisfaction. Isn’t that everyone?
In his own pursuits he has spearheaded a range of ventures in technology, real estate, health and nutrition, and more.
Ed’s approach to life is clearly striking responsive chords. In addition to reaching more than three million online followers, he hosts a crowd-pleasing SiriusXM podcast that features peak performers like Barbara Corcoran, Tony Robbins, Martin Luther King III, Kurt Warner, and Jaime Kern Lima.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the countless things you assume you must do to reach your goals. But what if—what if—you could find your best with just “one more” action or intentional thought?
Ed Mylett shows the way. And it’s more attainable than you likely imagined.
Rodger Dean Duncan: Most people think of "compounding" in financial terms, but you apply the principle to managing one's life. Tell us about that.
Ed Mylett: Many people struggle because they assume they need to make several large and sweeping changes to realize their dreams. Just the opposite is true!
The basic premise of The Power of One More is that you need to make only "one more" small change in your life and keep compounding that effort to produce the results you want in life.
Change is a lot easier, and you'll build more self-confidence, when you create momentum out of several small victories each day. For example, it doesn't take much to make one more sales call, build one more relationship, or work on one more positive habit each day. But when you look at the impact these things have over six months or longer, the results are dramatic.
Ed Mylett
Duncan: In what ways can "one more try" turn someone into an overachiever?
Mylett: Many times, we're closer to a solution or successful outcome than we realize. The more you attempt one more try at something, the more you'll succeed. One more try is simply a reminder that success is often a numbers game when you combine it with other tools at your disposal.
Duncan: Effective management of time is a common challenge, even for highly productive people. What principles and practices have you found to be most helpful?
Mylett: Time is the single most valuable asset we have. Once a moment is gone, it's gone forever.
The unfortunate thing that many people don’t realize is that the current notions about time management are outdated. They do not appropriately serve our needs in a fast-paced, technology-driven society.
That's why treating each day with singular urgency is essential. Learn to squeeze all the dead space out of your days. When you create urgency, you take control of your time instead of your time controlling you. Priorities become clear. Useless things that do not drive you closer to your goals fall by the wayside.
Break each 24-hour period into three "mini-days" so you can move "mini-daily" deadlines closer, adding more urgency to your efforts.
Measure your productivity often and stay focused on the present. Do not allow your mind to drift too much to the past or future. Also, learn to say "no" when something does not serve your needs.
Get into the habit of recognizing when something is wasting your time, and then be smart enough to step back and remove yourself from those people and types of situations.
Duncan: What role do emotions play in a person's quest for happiness and success?
Mylett: All people have positive and negative emotions that drive their personality and results. When you take time to understand the dominant emotions you experience each day, you begin to know how to frame them better so they'll work to your advantage.
Emotions can reinforce your fears and hold you back, or they can positively energize your efforts and propel you forward at maximum speed.
Focusing on your emotions requires concentrated work by identifying your emotional triggers. You will view life differently when you can remove negative emotions such as envy or anger that do not serve you well. Replace them with positive and purposeful emotions like bliss and gratitude.
Just as important, changing what you feel in your emotional home will radiate outward, and you'll enjoy better relationships with family, friends, business associates, and everyone else you encounter daily.
Duncan: As coaching legend, John Wooden said, "You will never outperform your inner circle." What's your advice on making the most of relationships?
Mylett: I've learned that some relationships last your entire life, but the vast majority have some kind of an expiration date. The problem many people deal with in relationships is that they can't pare back on those that have become toxic or no longer serve a positive purpose.
That's one of the hardest things to do because society has hardwired us to value loyalty. It's no secret that our loyalty to others produces guilt when we try to reduce or change the nature of a relationship.
Because of that, if you want a full and happy life, you must learn to do the hard work of managing your relationships in much the same way you tend a garden. Water and fertilize the healthy relationships and pull old or damaging relationships like the weeds they have become.
Be especially critical regarding your inner circle, which should have no more than six to ten people in it. These are the make-or-break relationships that directly impact you every day. You are a reflection of these people. So, it's critical that you admit people to this part of your life based only on the highest possible standards.
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Duncan: You suggest that people can benefit from "auditioning" their inner circles. What does that mean?
Mylett: Your inner circle of friends are the most important people who determine how successful you are and what you'll accomplish in life. For these reasons, you must take extreme care in auditioning who should be in your inner circle.
These people should add significant value to your life. They should help you keep your standards high and your goals in focus. Ask yourself critical questions and be honest in how you answer them. You have a lot riding on your inner circle and you owe it to yourself to be extremely picky in this way.
Likewise, inner circle relationships sometimes run their course. People change. Job and life circumstances change. You must recognize these changes and be ready to add to or subtract from your inner circle in a way that best meets your current needs and desires.
Duncan: Why do some people seem to have trouble giving themselves permission to dream?
Mylett: As a society, I don't think we do enough dreaming in our lives. A big reason for this is that the past is a comfortable haven for many people. They fixate on imperfect past events without risking anything related to their present circumstances or the future.
The past is safe. And it's also a trap.
Dreaming is all about letting go. It requires daring to say "what if" when searching for a better life in your conscious and subconscious mind. That unsettles a lot of people. Fear of an unknown future holds them back from the better life waiting for them if they only have the courage to look for it.
Duncan: Asking the right questions, you say, is a key to removing roadblocks to change. What kind of questions seem to work well, and how can people get better at asking them?
Mylett: Everyone is on a unique journey, filled with questions about relationships, health, work, love, and more. Part of how this journey unfolds is driven by what we ask ourselves along the way. We're driven to seek meaningful answers when we ask challenging and stimulating questions. We dig a hole for ourselves when we ask listless, routine, or negative questions.
If you don't ask the right questions, you'll never have any control over your thoughts because you aren’t getting the right answers. Understand it's the quality of your thoughts that determines the outcome of your journey.
In simplest terms, better questions lead to better answers. Better answers lead to a better life.
Duncan: A lot of people struggle with goal setting, but you suggest a compelling motivation that prevents goals from becoming "lethargic burdens." What is it?
Mylett: Goals are a form of energy. When you pursue your goals, consider it transference of energy into action. Goals should also be challenging and have emotional reasons attached to them to supercharge your efforts.
You can set goals, but it's just as important to create standards to help you achieve them. Standards are the work you're willing to do to reach your goals. Standards are the promises you make to yourself as you pursue your goals. You're taking big steps to reaching your goals when you keep these promises.
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Duncan: What's the difference between goals and standards, and how does understanding that difference help someone find satisfaction in life?
Mylett: The difference between goals and standards is simple. Goals are external. Standards are internal.
External factors beyond your control impact your ability to meet your goals. Standards are the levels of performance you put in place based on what you want to achieve.
When you put high standards in place, any actions using those standards and directed at one of your goals give you the highest probability of achieving that goal.
For example, let's say you want to increase your income by 50% in the coming year. That's a solid and challenging goal. But external factors such as the economy, market sector conditions, and other related forces could torpedo your efforts. However, when you decide you're going to set a standard of staying at your office two hours later each day and working on Saturdays, you put yourself in a much better position to reach your goal based on standards you control.
Duncan: Inconvenience, you say, is something people need in their lives. How so?
Mylett: Convenience and greatness can never co-exist in the same life. Inconvenience is how you experience growth. As you try difficult and inconvenient tasks, you'll learn new skills and ways to solve problems. This type of thinking has the compounding effect I referred to earlier.
When you become comfortable with inconvenience, your confidence will rise and you'll see positives in all outcomes, even those where you didn't get what you wanted. You'll understand that there are growth and lessons you can find even in your failures.
The other thing is that convenience never lasts. Sooner or later, what is convenient will disappear, leaving you behind. But when you attack the inconvenient things in life, you'll be better positioned at whatever comes your way, comfortable knowing you can take on difficult challenges in all situations.
