54 pages • 1 hour read
Ed MylettThe Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The One More Mindset
As the title of the book suggests, the concept of “one more” is applied to nearly every facet of The Power of One More. All the topics discussed—lifestyle, mentality, discipline, lessons, dreams, goals—revolve around pushing oneself to give an additional effort. In some sections, Mylett uses one more as an adjective to describe different actions and identities, such as a one more thinker, leader, and multiplier. In other moments, Mylett uses the noun “one mores” to indicate the efforts, people, and actions to generate success.
In addition to its universal importance to the argument, the one more mindset can be divided into two parts: the theoretical and the practical. “The Power of One More,” writes Mylett, “is about thinking and doing” (100). Theoretical and practical applications of the one more mindset work together to enhance productivity, increase self-worth, and achieve goals. The oscillation between thinking one more and doing one more is the strategy Mylett wants to impart to readers.
Mylett also turns the one more mindset into an identity: the one more thinker, leader, achiever, and multiplier. Although not stated explicitly, it is implied that any individual can embody all these identities if they follow Mylett’s advice. The only outlier in this list, perhaps, is the one more multiplier. Although he doesn’t deny that readers can become one more multipliers, Mylett devotes more of his rhetorical energy in this section to advising readers on how to add a one more multiplier to their inner circle. He writes that “[a]dding the right kind of One More piece creates a multiplier effect” (171). This suggests that the one more thinker and or leader creates a team of people, one of whom will be a one more multiplier. All in all, these identities are the embodiments of the one more mindset because they relate the notion that individuals can change who they are with intention and willpower.
The one more mindset hinges on “one last one more,” which is the foundational concept of the book. Derived from witnessing his father’s recovery as an alcoholic, Mylett preaches one last one more as an idea of living every day as if it were your last. Despite being introduced in the final chapter of the book, one last one more “is the lesson of this book” (244). It is a concept meant to capture the meaning of the one more mindset in its entirety.
The Power of Faith to Accomplish More
Faith is the core of Mylett’s personal philosophy because it helps him give one more each day. Mylett blends his own personal beliefs in Christianity with concepts from Buddhism and builds his own ideas on top of them. No matter what religion audiences practice, prayer can lead them to a happier and more successful life. Mylett affirms readers that he respects “people of faiths and the freedom to pursue that faith in whatever ways bring the most meaning to each of you in your own lives” (223-24). Faith and prayer reflect Mylett’s theoretical and practical dichotomy: i.e., thinking and doing one more.
Where faith is the theory supporting one’s belief, prayer is the action of that belief. Mylett substantiates his recommendation for faith by using his own life as an example. He writes that “[he] firmly believe[s] that there is a direct correlation” between his faith and prayer and his success, wealth, and blissful family (228). While Mylett’s advocacy for faith includes all religions, groups such as atheists and agnostics may feel alienated by Mylett’s emphasis on faith. The implication is that even someone who is dedicated to their goals and lives with the one more mindset in most ways will still be ineffective in the end if they do not have faith in their lives.
Mylett links faith, energy, and quantum science together. He divides people into three groups: those who are faith based, who are energy based, and who are science based. Mylett considers himself to be in all three of these categories but places God at the center of these orientations. He says “that God is the creator of this energy” that allows humans to connect with the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual planes of existence. Prayer is the way of tapping into this energy and connecting with other people and entities higher than yourself. Additionally, he writes that people and animals can sense energies when they meet people they like or dislike and when they enter spaces that comfort or scare them: “Believe it or not, that’s part of quantum physics” (232). Mylett provides no sources for these claims. Likewise, he talks about his conversations with “pastors, rabbis, imams, priests, and others” but never mentions any names or provides any citations (230). These omissions potentially weaken Mylett’s argument. According to Michael Shermer, author of The Mind of the Market, positive-thinking and self-help texts tend to be “data-light and anecdote-heavy” (Shermer, Michael. “Kool-Aid Psychology: Realism Versus Optimism.” Scientific American, vol. 302, no. 1, 1 January 2010, p. 38). In any other genre, such sweeping claims about the foundational mechanisms of the universe would require more than one author’s opinions to substantiate. However, faith does not require proof, and Mylett uses this fact to his advantage.
Achieving Goals With Neuroscience and Quantum Mechanics
Mylett uses terms from neuroscience and quantum theory to bolster his argument. Specifically, he refers to the reticular activating system (RAS) and quantum energy. The RAS is a part of the brain right above the spinal cord that has many functions including somatic motor control, cardiovascular control, pain modulation, regulation of sleep and consciousness, and habituation. Mylett focuses mostly on the psychological, perceptive, and behavioral functions of the RAS, which help individuals selectively process information. Because of this, Mylett refers to the RAS as “your brain’s natural filtering system” (31). Mylett insists that by intentionally activating and training your RAS, you can control your perception of reality. This control will influence your actions to such an extent that you’ll start to experience positive changes in your life. Mylett applies the possible functions of the RAS to goal setting, time management, prayer, and performance. In Mylett’s philosophy, the RAS is the anatomical instrument for the one more mindset.
It should be noted that though the RAS does influence the way individuals react, especially to dangerous or traumatizing stimuli, there is no scientific evidence that positive thinking can change how the RAS processes these stimuli. At present, the idea that an individual can consciously influence the RAS is only hypothetical (Maldonato, Mauro, et al. “Rethinking Consciousness: Some Hypothesis on the Role of the Ascending Reticular Activating System in Global Workspace.” Neural Nets WIRN, edited by Bruno Apolloni, et al., IOS Press, 2011, p. 212). The goal of Mylett’s incorporation of neuroscience into his argument is to help readers believe they have a fundamental ability to change, whether this is actually possible or not.
Similarly, Mylett uses quantum mechanics to describe energy and the power of faith. The constant flow of energy throughout the universe is a product of quantum interactions, infinitesimal particles moving and interacting with each other. Mylett interprets this energy as a spiritual force, the way in which God creates and governs the universe. Because intentional thoughts, as in prayer, are forms of this energy, Mylett believes that quantum energy can be harnessed, like the RAS, for the one more thinker’s advantage. Again, this is intended to be a tool of empowerment for readers: Just as they can control micro-level processes that influence their lives (the RAS), they can control macro-level, cosmic processes, such as quantum energy and prayer. There are currently debates about the relationship between religion and science that touch on the potential overlaps between quantum physics, theology, and a God-created universe (Evans, John H. “The Religion and Science Advocates in the Academic Debate.” Morals Not Knowledge: Recasting the Contemporary U.S. Conflict Between Religion and Science. University of California Press, 2018, p. 29). Like the discussion about the RAS and intentionality, at this time, conversations about the connection between religion and quantum mechanics are purely theoretical. Rather than acknowledge the hypothetical nature of these claims, Mylett presents them as facts based on his personal experience: “My understanding of this energy and how it works has been critical to my success for many years now” (233). Relying on personal experience as evidence is intended to help readers believe that even without scientific data or a clear strategy, they too can harness universal forces to bring about their own happiness and success.
