Go First

Gabrielle Reece was a successful volleyball player and named one of the “20 Most Influential Women in Sports” by Women’s Sports & Fitness. 

Podcaster and author Tim Ferriss asked about her secrets to being successful and Reece shared how one of the things that has made her life more fulfilling is she tries is to “go first.” But not in the way you might think. As Reece explains, “if I’m checking out at the store, I’ll say hello first. If I’m coming across somebody and make eye contact, I’ll smile first.”

Study after study reveals emotions are contagious. It sounds simple, but if we want people to smile at us, we likely need to smile first. If we want to start a conversation, we might need to be the person to introduce ourselves first.

Try this experiment: today, “go first.” The entire day. A smile. A hello. Am outreached hand.

It might end up being a really great day.