The Power of One More
The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success
Book Edition Details
Summary
When the line between ordinary and extraordinary blurs, Ed Mylett steps in with "The Power of One More," a masterclass in unleashing latent potential. With three decades of coaching elite performers, Mylett presents a potent philosophy: greatness lies just one more step away. Whether you seek personal fulfillment, financial abundance, or deeper relationships, this book reveals how tiny, intentional actions can dismantle lifelong barriers. Mylett's insights are not just motivational whispers but a blueprint for tangible transformation, drawing on psychology and real-world application. For those yearning to tap into untold capabilities, this book becomes an essential companion on the path to unprecedented success.
Introduction
There's a profound moment in everyone's life when they realize they're standing at the edge of something greater. Maybe you've felt it—that stirring sense that you're capable of more, that your dreams aren't just wishful thinking, but blueprints waiting to be built. The gap between where you are and where you want to be isn't as vast as it seems. In fact, it often comes down to just one more action, one more decision, one more moment of courage. This isn't about massive overhauls or dramatic transformations overnight. It's about understanding that extraordinary results come from the willingness to do one more thing when others stop. When you embrace this mindset, you unlock a power that has been waiting inside you all along—the power to transcend ordinary and step boldly into the life you were meant to live.
Build Your One More Identity and Matrix
Your identity acts as an internal thermostat that regulates every aspect of your life. Just like a thermostat maintains temperature regardless of external conditions, your identity maintains your results in relationships, finances, and personal achievements. If you see yourself as a 75-degree person, you'll unconsciously turn on the air conditioners of your life whenever success exceeds what you believe you deserve, cooling yourself back down to familiar territory. Consider the story of a father teaching his daughter about persistence. When Bella, Ed's seventeen-year-old daughter, went job hunting, she initially faced rejection at a pizzeria because she wasn't old enough to serve alcohol. Instead of going home defeated, she noticed a small café next door. Rather than walking past like most teenagers would, she went inside, started a conversation with the hostess, and within minutes was hired on the spot. That single act of refusing to accept the first "no" demonstrated the power of operating from a higher identity—one that sees obstacles as detours, not destinations. Bella's success didn't happen by accident. She had internalized the belief that she deserved success and was willing to take one more action to achieve it. Her identity thermostat was set high enough that when faced with disappointment, she automatically looked for the next opportunity rather than retreating into self-doubt. To reshape your identity, focus on three foundational elements: faith in your inherent worth, clear intentions about who you're becoming, and associations with people who operate at the level you aspire to reach. Your brain is like a sophisticated filter system—what scientists call the reticular activating system—that shows you what aligns with your current identity. When you consciously upgrade your identity, this mental filter begins revealing opportunities and resources that were always there but previously invisible. Start by making and keeping small promises to yourself, building the self-confidence that comes from reliable self-trust, and surrounding yourself with people whose standards challenge you to rise higher.
Master One More Standards and Goals
Goals are merely thoughts and wishes until you pair them with standards—the non-negotiable actions and behaviors you're willing to maintain. While you can't always control whether you achieve your goals, you have complete control over your standards because they're internal decisions about what you will and won't tolerate in your life. This distinction changes everything about how you approach success. Coach Nick Saban exemplifies this principle in his approach to building championship teams. While most coaches set the standard of "we'll practice this until we get it right," Saban elevates his standard to "we'll practice this until we can't get it wrong." This subtle but powerful shift in language reflects a completely different level of commitment and expectation. It's the difference between hoping for success and making success inevitable through uncompromising preparation. Saban's teams don't just practice more; they practice with a standard that makes excellence automatic. When game time arrives, his players perform at championship levels because their daily standards have programmed championship behaviors into their nervous systems. Their success on the field is simply the external manifestation of internal standards they've maintained in countless practice sessions. Your breakthrough comes when you identify exactly what standards you need to adopt to reach your most important goals. If your goal is financial freedom, your standards might include specific daily actions around saving, investing, and income generation. If your goal is optimal health, your standards encompass precise decisions about exercise frequency, nutritional choices, and sleep habits. The key is making these standards so clear and compelling that following them becomes automatic, not a constant battle of willpower. Write down your most important goal, then immediately ask yourself what you're willing to tolerate to achieve it. Those tolerations become your standards, and your commitment to maintaining those standards determines whether your goal remains a fantasy or becomes your reality.
Develop One More Leadership and Relationships
True leadership centers on helping people accomplish things they couldn't achieve without your presence. If you can't elevate others through your influence, there's no need for your leadership. The most effective leaders understand they must sell a dream big enough that everyone they lead can see their own aspirations fitting inside it, while also recognizing and nurturing each person's unique gifts. At McKinley Home for Boys, Ed discovered this truth while working with orphaned and troubled children. These young boys, despite their difficult circumstances, wanted exactly what everyone wants: to be loved, believed in, cared for, and shown how to live better. This revelation became the foundation of his leadership philosophy—that regardless of age or position, people share these fundamental needs. Whether you're leading a Fortune 500 company or coaching your child's soccer team, your success depends on meeting these core human requirements. The most profound leadership moment came when one of these boys looked up to Ed for guidance during a particularly challenging time. Instead of offering complex advice or stern discipline, Ed simply listened, acknowledged the boy's struggle, and expressed unwavering belief in his potential. That moment of genuine connection and support became a turning point not just for the child, but for Ed's understanding of what leadership truly means. The boy began making better choices and developing confidence because someone had invested in seeing his worth. Effective leadership requires mastering several key principles: become evangelical about your vision, actively listen and observe to understand others deeply, focus on developing other leaders rather than hoarding power, and consistently meet people's basic human needs for certainty, significance, love, growth, and contribution. Remember that leadership isn't about saying new things to old people, but about saying important things repeatedly until they become part of your culture. Most importantly, your actions must align with your words—people learn more from what they observe you doing than from what they hear you saying.
Live One More with Faith and Purpose
Faith provides the foundational energy that transforms ordinary actions into extraordinary results. When you combine genuine faith with intentional prayer, you create a powerful alignment between your conscious thoughts and subconscious actions. This isn't about religious doctrine, but about recognizing the unseen forces that influence every aspect of your existence—from the gravity that keeps you grounded to the inexplicable energy you feel around certain people. The story of Ed's father illustrates faith's transformative power. For fifteen years, Edward Joseph Mylett Jr. battled alcoholism while maintaining his role as a banker and family man. His addiction created anxiety and uncertainty for everyone he loved, yet he remained his son's hero because of his fundamental character and potential for change. When faced with an ultimatum from his wife—get sober or lose his family—he made a commitment that would define the rest of his life. With tears in his eyes, Ed's father declared his intention to become the man his family deserved. This wasn't just another attempt at sobriety; it was a complete surrender to something greater than himself. Through Alcoholics Anonymous, he embraced the principle of staying sober one more day at a time, stacking single days into weeks, months, and eventually thirty-five years of sobriety. His transformation wasn't just personal—it became the foundation for helping hundreds of other people find their own path to recovery. The power of faith lies not in the certainty of outcomes, but in the unwavering commitment to right action regardless of circumstances. When you pray, you align your conscious desires with universal principles that transcend your limited perspective. This alignment creates what quantum physics describes as energy fields—invisible forces that influence the people and opportunities you attract into your life. Start each day with intentional prayer or meditation, expressing gratitude for what you have while clearly stating your hopes for continued growth and service. Make your faith active through consistent daily practices rather than reserving it only for times of crisis.
Summary
The journey to an extraordinary life isn't about massive leaps or dramatic transformations—it's about consistently doing one more thing when others stop trying. As this exploration reveals, "You're a lot closer to changing your life than you think. You're one more meeting, one more relationship, one more decision, one more action, or one more thought from leading the life you deserve." Every area of your life, from your deepest sense of identity to your most important relationships, can be elevated through this simple but profound principle. The path forward is clear: choose one area of your life that matters most to you right now, identify what "one more" would look like in that area, and commit to taking that action today. Whether it's one more call to a potential client, one more conversation with someone you care about, or one more step toward a goal that's been calling to you, your extraordinary life is waiting just beyond your next courageous action.
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By Ed Mylett
