For everything we set out to do, whether it is get a job, get off drugs, stop spending money we don’t have, start building our business, get back on the dating wheel, become a parent, go back to school, there is always a first day.
99% of the people I know have come to agree on about first days including me is that first days almost always SUCK! They usually never go as planned and somehow, almost always, fall short of expectations. Plus, they start or end with elephants in our stomach.
The goal of this post is to get you to a place where you’re smashing all your goals and getting closer to becoming the person you say you want to become and closer to making your vision a reality which means there will be a lot of firsts in your future. So, let’s say you have your goals set, drawn up the plans and made all the calls… how do you deal with all the emotional craziness that comes with first days?
ACCEPT THAT FIRST DAYS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE GREAT DAYS.
They are learning days and you will not get the exact results that you are hoping to get. You may not write the memo right, you may not meet the man or woman of your dreams, you might not sell as many products as you thought you would, you are learning the ropes. It does not matter how much planning you do, you might only get a couple of 5’s out of 10. Accept it as the beginning of a story, your story and keep going.
DO WHAT YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO ON YOUR FIRST DAY.
Even if the numbers do not add up and you do not sell one item on your first day of business, even though you do not get an “A” on your first test after months of studying, do what you said you would do on your first day. The first time I ran a training to teach on Fashion modelling and Pageantry, I had all the plans, the things I will teach, a long draft set up only to meet 3 people on the start-up day, the other two people were my friend and her roommate. While I was very disappointed with the numbers, I had to force myself to do what I said I would do on my first day and hope for a better result the next day. It of course got better. So, do what you said you would do.
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP.
First days are also good days no matter how sucky they get because they come filled with hope and there is no place else to go but up. Use that day as motivation for all the other months and years you will spend trying to build your career or business. Focus on where you want to be a year from your first day and not where you are on your first day.
HAVE A FRIEND(S) YOU TRUST AROUND.
Make sure that the person your inviting to be there for you is someone you trust, someone you know is not secretly mocking you ; Make sure you are not inviting a “frenemy” who may end up talking you down or out of your goal because of your first day results.
You might need to vent, cry, have someone hold your hand and say you can do it or just dance and be merry, a friend will come in handy. Tell them what you are going to do and have them come around if they can, call them or have them call you… see them or talk to them at the end of the day. It’s a great way to prep for day two.
SHOW UP THE NEXT DAY.
Some tough first days have made a lot of people run for the hills. One thing is for sure, if you keep going at your goals, you will one day have your dream results and 9 out of 10 times, it is usually way better than you imagined. Just ask Successful Comedian Basket Mouth how he feels today, compared to the first time he ever tried stand-up comedy and was laughed off the stage. Do you think famous blogger Linda Ikeji will be living in a 500 million naira house on Banana Island today if those days of being turned down by people and companies made her walk away from her vision? Show up and take your first day from being a memory to being a success story.
PERSPECTIVE: First Days are Great Days Regardless
Look for the silver linens, trust me, all the mistakes you made simply means that you have gotten a chance to ‘learn a new things’ so that you can be/do better. It could be that you finally started the journey to your million dollar company or that career on T.V. Look for silver linens in every situation because even bad days are good days in disguise. This mentality will help you show up and have a better attitude about your growth process.
So Gear up! You will have a lot of first days and over time, you might become a “Pros” so hey, they don’t suck as much. You need first days, it means your growing and it means you’re moving closer to your vision and smashing your goals. Don’t shy away from them.
This is my first day back as a blogger and writing on a subject I love, I hope it helps make your road to success easier.
Please feel free to share your “First Day” experience good or bad, we’d love to know. Thank you for reading, see you in the next post.
Author – Diamond Okoh (Co-Founder of Oriegirls.com)