Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

Abstract

ed it. That someone turns out to be Gary Keller himself. He and his Keller Williams (KW) team spent all day one time brainstorming and decided that the ONE thing he needed to do was write a book. So he did, and three years later KW was a smashing success.Wow, that’s a conveniently vague yet wildly successful example.There’s not a single case study of how someone else, anyone else, has used the Focusing Question. There are no worksheets, no stories, no examples. He says many times that he has shared the FQ with thousands of people and it changed their life.Where’s the proof of that, Mr. Keller? You seem to have forgotten to include it in the book.<h2 id="01b4">He makes a huge deal about how life-changing it is, but the entire book is about anything other than how to use this question in life.</h2>I was left frustrated and after I finished the book I felt like there was something wrong with me, because I couldn’t figure out how to apply it to my own life. But then I realized that the problem wasn’t me. It was how lame the book was.And then I had a secondary “Aha moment.” I remembered that when I got my real estate license in 2018, there was a lot of talk about whether Keller Williams was a cult and/or a pyramid scheme. I wasn’t sure, but even the fact that it was being discussed sat poorly with me. I walked in a different direction.Today, I did a bit of internet research about that aspect of KW, but I decided not to go down that rabbit hole with this story. It’s not what I wanted to write about, plus plenty is available about it elswhere.All I really wanted to do was voice my frustration

Options

that the book is totally useless. I think the point of the book and its Focusing Question is that you should consider what you do before you do it and don’t waste time doing things that aren’t strategically geared toward your long-term goal.Um, yeah, duh.<h2 id="25f8">Even the sentence is poorly written.</h2>That sentence is so bulky and annoying. “What’s the one thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”“Such that by doing it?” Is that supposed to sound smart?How about “I should do the thing that will make everything else easier or unnecessary.”Again, um, duh.<h1 id="f06c">The Upshot</h1>I can’t believe the guy has made millions off this book. It offers absolutely nothing of service to anyone. He says a bunch of stuff that others have already said (and said better) and he doesn’t even include references to them in his book. Instead, he sends you to his website to find them.My advice: skip this book. Or, if you are curious, get it out of the library like I did before you lay down $16 for it.Is it helpful?Well, I’m sure there is someone this book benefits. His name is Gary Keller.My name is Uma Bode and I’ve got 10 days left in my 30 Day Honesty Project, where I’m writing an article every day for 30 days. It’s been a life-changing habit. Much more so than asking that stupid FQ.My business is <a href="https://theumaverse.com/">The Umaverse</a>. I train women to claim their power and live the life they long for by providing life-changing coaching, programs, and community.</article></body>

The One Thing by Gary Keller Is a Bunch of Hooey

Day 20: 30-Day Umaverse Challenge

I had heard great things. “It was a life-changing book,” someone said. “Highly recommend it!” trumpeted another.

All I can say is, I’m glad I got it out of the library before I bought it because it was the heaviest piece of fluff I’ve ever read.

Of course, that’s because I don’t read a lot of self-help books, and this is why. Even the useful ones are filled with 1000s of extra words and all manner of repetitive case studies and stories. Almost any good idea can be conveyed in 10–12 double-spaced pages or less, but you can’t sell 12 pages for $25.

All that said, at least a good self-help book has a valid and useful technique to share. It gives you guidance on how to use it and the stories and case studies are relevant to using the technique.

The ONE Thing doesn’t have a technique.

Yep. You read that right. A self-help book that has no self-help technique.

Instead, it has a question, the so-called Focusing Question (FQ). The book brings that question to us with much fanfare. It tells us over and over that the FQ is life-changing.

This is the FQ:

“What’s the One Thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

The book provides no guidance on how to use the question. It includes one, and only one, story about how someone used it. That someone turns out to be Gary Keller himself. He and his Keller Williams (KW) team spent all day one time brainstorming and decided that the ONE thing he needed to do was write a book. So he did, and three years later KW was a smashing success.

Wow, that’s a conveniently vague yet wildly successful example.

There’s not a single case study of how someone else, anyone else, has used the Focusing Question. There are no worksheets, no stories, no examples. He says many times that he has shared the FQ with thousands of people and it changed their life.

Where’s the proof of that, Mr. Keller? You seem to have forgotten to include it in the book.

He makes a huge deal about how life-changing it is, but the entire book is about anything other than how to use this question in life.

I was left frustrated and after I finished the book I felt like there was something wrong with me, because I couldn’t figure out how to apply it to my own life. But then I realized that the problem wasn’t me. It was how lame the book was.

And then I had a secondary “Aha moment.” I remembered that when I got my real estate license in 2018, there was a lot of talk about whether Keller Williams was a cult and/or a pyramid scheme. I wasn’t sure, but even the fact that it was being discussed sat poorly with me. I walked in a different direction.

Today, I did a bit of internet research about that aspect of KW, but I decided not to go down that rabbit hole with this story. It’s not what I wanted to write about, plus plenty is available about it elswhere.

All I really wanted to do was voice my frustration that the book is totally useless. I think the point of the book and its Focusing Question is that you should consider what you do before you do it and don’t waste time doing things that aren’t strategically geared toward your long-term goal.

Um, yeah, duh.

Even the sentence is poorly written.

That sentence is so bulky and annoying. “What’s the one thing I can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

“Such that by doing it?” Is that supposed to sound smart?

How about “I should do the thing that will make everything else easier or unnecessary.”

Again, um, duh.

The Upshot

I can’t believe the guy has made millions off this book. It offers absolutely nothing of service to anyone. He says a bunch of stuff that others have already said (and said better) and he doesn’t even include references to them in his book. Instead, he sends you to his website to find them.

My advice: skip this book. Or, if you are curious, get it out of the library like I did before you lay down $16 for it.

Is it helpful?

Well, I’m sure there is someone this book benefits. His name is Gary Keller.

My name is Uma Bode and I’ve got 10 days left in my 30 Day Honesty Project, where I’m writing an article every day for 30 days. It’s been a life-changing habit. Much more so than asking that stupid FQ.

My business is The Umaverse. I train women to claim their power and live the life they long for by providing life-changing coaching, programs, and community.