048: Jay Papasan on The ONE Thing That Matters Most in Business and Life

Gen X Amplified with Adrion Porter

For the last episode before our season break, we are bringing you this special (BEST OF) episode, with our featured guest Jay Papasan, the co-author of the groundbreaking #1 Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling book, The ONE Thing.

Are you struggling with multitasking and prioritizing your most important projects - especially when it seems there are so many things to get done? Well, this episode is for you.

Jay Papasan, is the Vice President of publishing and Executive Editor at KellerINK, the publishing arm of Keller Williams Realty. He is best known for co-writing with his mentor, Gary Keller, a few best-selling books, including The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, which became a New York Times best-seller.

But their most recent book, titled The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, has been a nothing short of a “game-changer.” It is a New York Times best-seller and has also reached #1 on the Wall Street Journal business best-seller list.

In the book, Jay and Gary outline in great detail why everyone should identify that area of your life where you want to be extraordinary (that one thing), and FOCUS on it - before you simultaneously take on other tasks.

To me, this is such a groundbreaking book. I actually put it in the same category as other watershed publications such as Good to Great by Jim Collins, Tribes by Seth Godin, and Simon Sinek's Start With Why.

During this value-packed episode of Gen X Amplified, Jay and I discuss his overall journey to becoming an author, the importance of "focus" as a leader, and why The ONE Thing is resonating with so many, even outside of the business world. This book is definitely a must-read, especially for Gen Xers with all of the opportunities and obligations we have during this power phase of our lives.

Key Takeaways:

• That pivotal moment when Jay decided to become an author.
• How the lack of focus can be your worst enemy for productivity.
• What is that "domino effect" you can experience when you identify your ONE thing.
• Why extraordinary people enjoy the overall journey in seeking mastery
• What is the 80/20 principle when it applies to the ONE Thing?
• Why saying NO can actually bring you better results.
• What is Jay's ONE Thing, both personally and professionally?
• Why the process of "goal setting" should start with the end in mind (e.g., 5 years from now), then work backwards from there.
• And so much more!

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• The ONE Thing (book) by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
• The ONE Thing (website)
• Jay Papasan on Twitter
• KellerINK (Publishing arm of Keller Williams Realty)
• Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
• AT-A-GLANCE Monthly Calendars
• Adrion Porter Speaking/Consulting (website)

Jay's Personal Theme Song

• • “Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys

Thank you for listening!