Preparing for Your Next First or Best
Maybe you’re currently experiencing a unique opportunity to slow down (you’re in the midst of a job change, you’re stuck at home during a pandemic, you’re tight on cash, your relationship just ended, you’re healing from an injury, or you just made the decision to give yourself the gift of me-time. Or maybe you’re busier than ever and are realizing you need some of that coveted me-time.
Regardless of what the cause is…whether it's outside of your control or a conscious choice you’re making to take some time for yourself…having time to plan your next FIRST or BEST is not only healthy but also a great way to prepare for a significant step forward in your life.
Why do I say it’s significant? Let me answer you with a question.
Do you remember your first kiss?
How about the first time you made a sale?
Or the first time you rode a roller coaster or bungee jumped off a bridge?
Do you remember when you ran your fastest mile?
How about when you won that trophy?
Or felt your highest level of pride on a job well done at school or at work?
Do you remember your 30th kiss or your 12th subpar mile? (not likely)
For most of us, when we think about the first time we did something, the memories are clear. Sometimes we can even remember seemingly insignificant details, like the scent in the air at that time or what we were wearing. That’s because first-evers and best-evers are important milestones in our lives. They are significant.
Who says we get to only have those types of experiences when we are young or brand new at something? We can continue to have these significant, memorable, emotionally rewarding experiences throughout our entire lives…as long as we seek them out. The impact these experiences have on our happiness and well-being is positive and well worth the effort.
So, I’m going to share some ideas on how you can prepare to have your next Best Ever or First something.
- Maybe it’s your Best Ever month, campaign, paycheck, or year at work, in your health, or in a relationship.
- Maybe it’s your First 4- or 5-digit paycheck, triathlon, or first time being #1 on your team.
- Maybe it’s as simple as a first experience with someone in your life…a first one-on-one outing with one of your children or your best deep and inspiring conversation with your significant other.
Tony Robbins, who is seriously The Bomb (yes, people still say the bomb, especially when talking about somebody like Tony who's a pioneer in his field and still a visionary in personal development), says this basic principle is the recipe for all success, whether it’s your career, relationships, health, finances, [or to achieve a First or Best].
Evaluation --> Vision --> Action
Let's break that down.
Evaluation: See things as they are, not worse than they are.
Check in with yourself and take stock of your health, your finances, your relationships, your career. What do you do well? What do you need to improve?
If you’re running a business, take a look at how you and it are performing:
- How often are you reaching out to clients or prospects?
- What’s the most you’ve contacted in one sitting?
- Are you asking past customers for new referrals? Repeat orders?
- How often are you communicating with them via email, text, or direct mail?
- How many orders are you taking a week? What’s the average order? What’s your closing percentage?
- What’s the most revenue you’ve ever generated in one week? Month? Campaign? Year?
- What’s been your biggest order ever so far?
Write out your evaluations of where you stand now in multiple areas of measurement personally, professionally, or both. This is your starting point.
Vision: See things how you want them to be.
Write down what you want your health to look like, what you want your relationships to feel like, which career goals you’d like to attain, with a focus on the Best Evers or Firsts you aim to achieve this year. Get specific and be clear. Vague goals get vague results.
Part of this vision process should be to figure out your Whys— really take the time to understand your own motivation and why these ambitions matter to you.
Action: Decide what you’re going to do to get to the goals you just envisioned for yourself.
Write down your plans. Once you’ve decided the areas in which you’d like to have a First or Best in, jot down how you’ll make it happen. Write clear steps you can take—where you’ll focus your time and energy. Again, get specific. For example: Rather than saying you'll meditate more to improve your focus, write down how many minutes you'll meditate and how many days a week. No detail is too small.
Have you ever noticed that how you feel can affect your focus?
Have you scheduled yourself to make calls or draft a message and, when that time rolled around, you just didn’t FEEL like it? When you need to shift your emotional state to stay focused and motivated, think about your compelling why. It can make all the difference. Remind yourself why your goals are important to you and what it will mean to you (or to others) when you achieve them.
** Pro tip: Surrounding yourself with helpful people can also have a tremendous impact on your own success. Whether it’s an accountability partner, a training group, colleagues you check in with or brainstorm with, or mentors, keeping company with positive folks who are supportive of your mission will help you stay focused, motivated, and accountable to yourself. **
And remember, just because you haven’t achieved something yet doesn’t mean you won’t.
It doesn’t matter how many times you try and fail. Failure is a part of success - it's temporary. It helps you figure out what doesn’t work. Failure isn’t permanent unless you quit.
The Beatles made a bunch of albums; their best-selling album was the 11th one, so keep building on past success, keep learning and growing and raising the bar for yourself. With each Best Ever or First you achieve, you’re breaking a psychological barrier for yourself and setting the stage for your next Best Ever.
Written and edited by Amiee Mueller and edited by Gloria Otto.
Photo by Josh Gordon on Unsplash
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