THE LIE OF EVERYTHING MATTERS EQUALLY

In the book "The One Thing" by Gary Keller, he lists six lies between you and success.  One of those myths is that everything matters equally.  Here is how Keller dispels that theory:

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Equality is a worthy ideal pursued in the name of justice and human rights.  In the real world of results, however, things are never equal.

Equality is a lie.

Understanding this is the basis of all great decisions.

When everything feels urgent and important, everything seems equal.  We become active and busy, but this doesn't actually move us any closer to success.  Activity is often unrelated to productivity, and busyness rarely takes care of business.

As Henry David Thoreau said, "It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants.  The question is, what are we busy about?"

"The things which are most important don't always scream the loudest."

-Bob Hawke

While to-dos serves as a useful collection of our best intentions, they also tyrannize us with trivial, unimportant stuff that we feel obligated to get done -- because it's on our list.

Achievers operate differently. They have an eye for the essential.  They pause just long enough to decide what matters and then allow what matters to drive their day.

Achievers always work from a clear sense of priority.