54 pages • 1-hour read
The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success
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Introduction-Chapter 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Introduction Summary
The Power of One More begins with Mylett explaining his reason for writing the book and outlining his major argument. He tells audiences that he’s been working on the “one more” philosophy for over three decades. Mylett promises to “change your relationships, finances, emotions, the way you do business, your outlook on life, and more” (1) with the one more mindset. By always practicing the one more mindset, readers can move closer to the life they want to live.
Mylett distinguishes his book from others in the self-help genre. He assures readers that his book is not a “how to succeed in business” or a “how to succeed in relationships” book (3). Rather, the book prescribes techniques that will help readers enhance their lives. He also advertises his book as applicable to everyone. Performance, athletics, business, education, and parenting can all be improved using The Power of One More. Mylett relates to readers by telling them that he’s been in their situation: struggling with life’s problems, battling negative emotions, and failing to live up to his potential. Like the reader, he has faced struggles with his health, mentality, relationships, and self-esteem. He mentions how, during his childhood, he idolized his father who was his role model but also an alcoholic. This relationship shaped his relentless drive to learn and win but also led him to develop unhealthy coping skills.
Mylett encourages readers to desire winning. The book intends to “help you identify your talents, gifts, and abilities, then maximize them for your own greater good and for the people around you” (5). Improvement occurs when gifts are combined with intentional, goal-oriented thoughts and directed actions. Mylett ends the Introduction by reminding readers that he is like them: “Remember, we’re a lot alike, you and me. If I can do it, you can too” (6).
Chapter 1 Summary: “One More Identity”
In Chapter 1, Mylett encourages readers to reshape their identities. Identity drives outcomes in life, delineates the limits of success, and controls emotions. Mylett defines identity as “the thoughts, concepts, and beliefs we hold as the most genuine parts of our inner being” (7). Although most people know these facets of identity to be true, few take the action to change significantly. Creating a One More Mindset involves sacrificing parts of yourself that hold you back.
Mylett believes that identity is shaped during childhood. During this time, influential figures, such as parents, teachers, friends, and role models, teach children what to believe and how to act. Unfortunately, these people aren’t always right about what they teach. The defenseless nature of childhood makes individuals susceptible to believing that weaknesses and faults in themselves are incontrovertible truths. Later in life, the confirmation of identities instills in people that they are incapable of changing.
Individuals can only change their identity once they become intentional, noting, “Your internal thermostat sets the conditions of your life” (10). Usually, identity is adjusted according to external factors, like financial success, relationships, or education. Individuals regulate their internal self-worth by adjusting to these external conditions based on how they measure up with those around them. Mylett insists that identity can be adjusted through intentional thoughts and goal setting so that the individual can achieve higher levels of success. The internal thermostat of identity pulls people back to what they think they’re worth and where they are comfortable: “Simply put, you can't achieve 100 degrees of fitness or wealth with a thermostat set for 75 degrees of fitness or wealth” (12).
Mylett then introduces three ideas that help change identity: faith, intentions, and associations. Faith is a powerful change agent because it allows individuals to make seemingly impossible changes; Mylett identifies as Christian and believes that he comes “from the most extraordinary DNA in the world: God’s DNA” (14). However, Mylett believes any person from all denominations and religions can use The Power of Faith to Accomplish More. Intentions means actively thinking about and setting goals that change identity. Too often, people set negative intentions by complaining about life or telling themselves they aren’t worth it. Mylett wants readers to “flip the script” and make intentions that serve oneself and others (15). Associations are also a key factor, as people develop the traits, actions, and beliefs of their family and peer groups. Mylett suggests that individuals seek out others who operate at a higher level of performance and model their behavior. Using these three tools together can help people modify their identity.
Mylett differentiates between identity and self-confidence. If identity is the belief in self-worth, then self-confidence is the means of acting on that belief. Self-confidence is trusting oneself to perform and act for one’s personal success. Mylett insists that fear only holds the individual back: “Doubts are the products of external factors in your life” (17). That is, doubt gets in the way of living your best life. Every time he has a negative thought about himself, he mentally records the thought and then visualizes erasing it in his mind. He does this repeatedly in his mind until he can no longer perceive the thought. For this reason, maintaining self-confidence is a constant practice.
Introduction-Chapter 1 Analysis
The opening chapter of The Power of One More sets up Mylett’s motivation for writing the book and establishes his main argument. The motivation is twofold: Mylett’s experiences make him qualified to teach people, and his mission in life is to help people be the best they can be. The thesis statement of the book is that adopting The One More Mindset can help readers become their best selves. This mindset inhabits every facet of Mylett’s life, from his career and hobbies to his family and faith.
Mylett establishes his authority on the grounds of his success and relatability. These justifications can be read in his use of first and second person. The first-person singular denotes his lived experience as a successful entrepreneur, performance coach, motivation speaker, and devoted father and husband. Mylett conveys the one more mindset through each one of these lifelong pursuits. He also uses the first-person plural to engage the audience as though he and they are part of the same journey. Mylett uses the second person to address the audience in a colloquial tone. When writing, “You were not born to be average or ordinary” (1), Mylett mimics a motivational speaker who directly addresses and inspires their audience. In this manner, Mylett manufactures an interpersonal relationship with the reader that conveys intimacy and authority. The combination of first- and second-person address establishes Mylett as an author who speaks face-to-face with his readers through the text.
In Chapter 1, Mylett provides his definition of identity. While Mylett admits that the bulk of an individual’s identity is constructed during childhood, he emphasizes the power of people to change. He believes (and insists) that intention can change identity. This is the first glimpse of how the one more mindset relates to the theme of Achieving Goals With Neuroscience and Quantum Mechanics. Humans have a unique ability, according to Mylett, to change their beliefs, mindsets, and physical constitutions through conscious, intentional thought and action. He grounds this theory in the mechanisms within the brain that dictate personality, decision-making, and behavior. Mylett devises a metaphor for this process, the internal thermostat: “If you’re a 75-degree person, you turn on the air conditioners of your life and cool it back down to what you think you’re worth. This happens every time your results begin to exceed your identity” (10). In this metaphor, higher heat equals a higher level of accomplishment. So, if the temperature of someone’s life reaches 100 degrees, i.e., a high level of success, and they can be comfortable at that temperature, they will not regulate themselves down to a lesser level of accomplishment. This is not a perfect metaphor, as one cannot constantly function at a literal temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but Mylett is trying to create a concrete metaphor for an abstract concept. The thermostat metaphor also allows readers to feel like changing their identities, which is a difficult, painstaking process, is as easy as turning a dial. It is meant to empower readers and give them a sense of control over the process.
A potential blind spot in Mylett’s theory is the consideration of the complex nature of identity that includes race, ethnicity, culture, gender, and sexual orientation, among other aspects of one’s lived experience. Mylett doesn’t address these aspects of identity in his book and may overlook the systemic and institutional forms of power in society that dictate a measure of people’s thoughts and behavior.
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