Your Beginning Middle and End Method

“Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.”

I’m going to suggest that’s not such great advice.  Because, bluntly, you and I are probably not so hot at many things when we take our first crack at them.

Is it ok if you talked too much on your first visits with donors?

Is it ok if you lost your place the first time you gave a speech?

Is it ok if you whiffed a few times that first time you golfed?

 

Here’s the REAL story.

If you are not willing to write badly at first, you are never going to be a great writer.

If you are not willing to cook badly at first, you are never going to be a great chef.

If you are not willing to meet badly with prospective givers at first, you are never going to be a great fundraiser.

Let me paraphrase a message from one of my coaches, Gary Ryan Blair.

As you embark upon doing something new, your beliefs about how you will perform are 90% of your results.  How about adopting a mental approach that will provide you with the security, self-assurance and motivation you need to live outside your comfort zone, face your fears, initiate change, persevere through difficulty and to take on any challenge with the confidence of a mighty lion?

 

 The BEGINNING. MIDDLE. END. Model             

Every new task, project or goal that you jump into will be…hard at the beginning, messy in the middle, and easy at the end.

This sounds so simple, right?  You might encourage your colleague with phrases like, “You’re doing great! You’ll get it!”  Which in turn gives them the will to start, the strength to continue, and the sustaining power to overcome the greatest of obstacles and ultimately win.

It’s a mature, grown up “thinking model” and strategy used by all high achievers…

And it is the one most abused by those low achievers around you who look for reasons to make excuses, blame others and jump ship when the going gets tough.

Here are a couple of examples to prove this point.

RIDING A BIKE

In the beginning…riding a bike is hard.

In the middle…riding a bike is messy.

In the end…riding a bike is easy.

 

LEARNING TO SPEAK Marcy’s 3-SENTENCE ASK

In the beginning…learning to speak an ask is hard.

In the middle… learning to speak an ask is messy.

In the end…speaking an ask is easy!

 

Every new task, project or goal that you engage in will be…hard at the beginning, messy in the middle, and easy at the end.

Whatever your dream, goal or ambitions include you can rest assured “easy” is in your future.

So consider everything you have wanted to be, have and do, Make a list. Attack that list with everything you’ve got with the understanding that it is supposed to be hard and clumsy at the beginning…that it will be messy, dirty and stinky in the middle… and that when you finally do get to the other side…it will be easy and elegant at the end.

Anything worth doing is worth doing badly at first.

 

Your hopes, dreams and goals are waiting for you to show up, grow up and step up knowing you can have, do and be anything you want.  You’ve got this!

Invest in Joy™