Let Me “Get ME First”

There is something that we all “want” right here, right now. Stop and think about what it is that you “want”. It could be a new car, i mean you could just see yourself in it. You can feel the new leather up against your skin, you can smell the “new car” aroma creeping out as you open up the front door. Some of you have the desire for a new job with a more stable income. Constantly figuring out the next move or even having succumbed to a new “get rich quick” plan to add a few extra zeroes in your bank account. And then there are some of us with a yearning of being in this picture perfect relationship. The “Honey I’m Home” effect of having someone. The craving to have someone to call your “own” with bubbly feelings and sweet kisses. If you ask me, all of these things become a “chase”. Your tunnel vision gets directed on these particular things that we have convinced yourself that you need at this very moment. Most of you have become so distracted, and yes intentionally using distracted rather than “focused”, on the things you want LATER, that you are missing the RIGHT NOW. Let’s switch gears, switch the vision, and turn the attention to, letting ME get “me” FIRST”. 

Please do not mis-take me, this is not to detour you from your plans or goals for your personal life. This is only to provide a bit of clarity for the season you are currently in. Many times we get so distracted by the “end goal” in mind, that we lose FOCUS on the current moment at state. I challenge you to set the end goal to the side. Not forget about it, not dismiss it, but briefly set it to the side. Redirect the attention, not to the item or the “thing:” you are so set on, but turn the attention to “YOU”. It’s time to “Get YOU first”. Truth be told, many of you are shooting for things that you have not properly prepared yourself for. You are mishandling your current season and can’t seem to figure out why the “chase” for your desired season seems like a marathon. Get YOU first. When we stop focusing so hard on where we have convinced ourselves we should be, and instead turn the attention to the right now, perceptions change and the storylines work a bit more in our favor. 

“Dai, what do you mean by “Get ME first?” I mean that is the point of my goals? I’m chasing these goals for me? Right?”  True indeed, but in moments of looking so hard for the end result, we miss the present opportunities for self growth. As stated, many of us are chasing things we have not even intentionally prepared ourselves for. Let’s jump back to the picture perfect Hallmark movie you see yourself living in. Sunshine and blue skies, hands held with the love of your life. What a pretty picture right? In the midst of going for your fairy tale relationship, dating every picture perfect (or what seems) partner that comes across, you forgot to “get you FIRST”. Instead of using your single days to create and find the best you, it became scouting season for the best candidate. When in all actuality, the right candidate will never come across until you have directed the attention to you finding your own best candidate within yourself. You gotta get YOU first. Take YOU out. Learn your highs and lows, your triggers, your drivers. Getting YOU first will naturally attract who is for you and who is not. Change the narrative from “finding someone” to someone “finding you” because the only one you are responible to find is YOURSELF.

Some of you are so career driven that you think so little of where you are in the work world as of right now. You want the 6 figure salary, the bank account with  a lot of zeroes. I mean, don’t we all? You have created this career vision for self and in your mind you have already hop, skipped, and jumped right there. Meanwhile, you poorly do the job you have now. You are consistently late and you barely take it serious. For those of you who run businesses, your inconsistent behavior to what you do will not reap you 6 figures. So, let you get YOU first. We must get into the habit of preparing ourselves for the life we want. If you want your business to kick off, treat your small business that you run out of your home, that may only get 5 likes (one being your mama) and treat it like it’s a multi-million dollar affair. Take seminars on business techniques. Up your customer service skills. Keep a planner and focus on where you are career wise RIGHT NOW, because the right now is your own personal valet service to the later. You are carrying YOU, so GET YOU FIRST. Create a better career and business person of yourself because honestly, the business mindset you have at this moment, does not coincide with the business mind of a millionaire. Learn more about your craft and what you do, take yourself more serious right now, GET YOU FIRST.

It is our human nature to create these scenarios for our life for later down the line. Not to say that is wrong to do, not at all! However, in creating these master plans, the “focus” instead morphs into “distractions”. We are no longer “focused” on our goals, we are instead “distracted” by them because we lose the essence of the right now. And guess what comes first? Does the NOW come first? Or the LATER? And guess what else? The latter is not even promised. Live in your current season. Prepare yourself for the things you are going for and a few things will happen 

• You will not mishandle them: Let’s say you did fall into a 6 figure salary job right now, or your business miraculously took off. You are not ready for that just yet because you have not prepared yourself. Maybe your service skills are not that great or you have yet to learn how to properly present your brand and who you are in business meetings with individuals who are ready to write you a check right here, right now. Get YOU first and take the moment to find out every single thing there is to know about who you are business wise RIGHT NOW
• Avoid unnecessary “slip ups”: Going after your goals is a chase. Your running and running and you see the end but the harder you run you just can’t seem to catch it. Had you slowed down and focused where you are right now, you would have seen your shoelace was untied and avoided that trip and fall that set you back. STOP and pay attention to where you are right now. Save yourself a lot of accidents, a lot of trouble, a lot of wasted time, by paying attention to the RIGHT NOW.
• Build a solid foundation: When you focus on who you are right now and bettering yourself in the moment, everything that is owed to you and that is for you, will come in time. “In due time we shall reap what we sow, if we do not give up.” Sow your seeds into who you are NOW, not who you want to be, because right now we are building the foundation, we are setting the stage.You see, these are the critical moments. When architects are building these luxurious homes we see, I can bet money they spend the most time on the FOUNDATION so that the masterpiece doesn’t crumble (MESSAGE). The mansion means nothing without the solid foundation. A lot of you are making foundations out of play-doh, it is quick and easy to manipulate. When really you need to take the time to lay down solid concrete. Build the proper foundation to sow your seeds on. GET YOU FIRST. 
• Lastly, it will come naturally: Whatever it is that your heart desires will come to you naturally. If you work hard enough at your job and focus on the level you are at RIGHT NOW, the promotion will come. If you focus more on YOU and less on finding another, the perfect (for you) relationship will come. You GOTTA get YOU first, because you can not go into the new season,as the old you. When the “pieces” don’t fit, the “peace” won’t either.

I challenge you to go for great things, see a great life for yourself as you should, but do not lose vision of where you are right now. Don’t “fumble the play” because you thought you were ready for the big leagues when really you are still warming up. Get YOU first. And everything else will come.