Recently, I read an article on marathon runner Anya Culling. In 2019, she ran her first marathon, the London Marathon, in 4 hours and 34 minutes. Despite finishing 7,546th in that race, she realized how much she loved running and the confidence this accomplishment provided her.
Anya kept training and kept running. In 2024, she competed in the London Marathon Elite Division, finishing as the 16th runner to cross the finish line with a time of 2 hours and 36 minutes.
In so many situations, we are paralyzed by trying to develop the perfect plan to the point we cannot start the process we need to begin in order to become great.
As Plato tells us, “The beginning is the most important part of the work,” and I have always interpreted this quote as meaning we must embrace the first step to be successful.
Embracing the first step is crucial in overcoming fear and uncertainty.
As Meister Eckhart is attributed with coining the phrase, “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” This quote is a hallmark of my Clifton Strengths Finder Top Five. Scott Grates and I have each done a few Morning Huddles daily team training videos on the subject of Strengths (available with a Masterminds Essentials membership).
When I started my agency, I did not know what I was doing. I literally tried to sell a renter’s policy by completing an apartment complex quote. In my defense, the prospect did live in an apartment! With this last scenario in mind, do you think I knew how to sell a 10-year term, 10 Pay, or UL? Not a chance!
I stepped up to the plate, practiced, and learned from people better than me. I still remember the feeling I had when I sold my first life policy (it was total protection with an auto, renter’s, HI, and a term life). I can also remember the feeling I had when a customer decided to invest in a $700 a month protection for his life.
Embracing the first step was essential for me, just as it was for Anya, and it’s essential for you. We must commit to being beginners every morning while always taking that initial step. I encourage you to define two or three areas where you want to improve, write them down, determine a quantifiable path to achieve your goals, and commit to focusing on your goals every day. Read your goals every morning and every night before you leave the office. Do not skip reading the goals. You need to read your goals on good days and bad days.
If you make the commitment to embracing the first step, commit to your goals, and follow the path you know you need to take, you will become the better version of yourself that you want to be.
