Finding my "One Thing" - Part One: Understanding

Over the last year or so, I have spoken to a few founders and all of them shared a common trait. They all had their "one thing". A purpose. A major goal. A direction.

Their one thing acted as a single source of truth to guide every decision they made each day. And with that, it gave them an unwavering sense of purpose and absolute focus.

  • When they woke up in the morning, they knew exactly what they were working towards.
  • When they engaged on Twitter, they knew what they wanted to learn or share.
  • When they had an idea, they knew if it was a good one by how well I served their grand purpose.
  • When people reached out or opportunities arose, they had a better idea of whether it was worth their time.

Of course, they still struggled with decisions and ideas. But they knew their overall direction.

Imagine sailing a ship, and not knowing where to go. You could end up going in circles endlessly and without reason. But, if you pulled out a compass and chose to travel north, you know have your purpose. Sure, you may get pulled off course to resupply, or due to bad weather, or for a rest. But you know aslong as the needle is pointing in that direction more than it is not, you are moving towards your goal.

So, that is exactly what I am looking to do. Find my "one thing" my "direction. I want to wake up every morning knowing exactly what I am working towards. And be able to measure if I am moving towards it or not.

Before wrapping up and sharing my commitment to the next month. I just wanted to take a moment to highlight a book called "The One Thing". It has also helped me understand and approach this task. I highly recommend checking it out!

During March of this year, I plan to do some soul-searching and try to understand what my "One Thing" is. And here are a few rules I need to hit to consider it a good fit:

  1. It needs to feel natural. Not forced.
  2. It should play off my strengths and interests.
  3. It should align with my values.
  4. It doesn't have to be forever.

If I hit those 4 things, I believe it will help define my direction. The step after will be figuring out how I can start moving my ship toward it.

Finally, if anyone out there is feeling the same desire, or has already found their one thing, reach out to me on Twitter/X - I would love to hear about it!