The most effective networking strategy I've found has nothing to do with conferences, cocktail hours, cold emails, or any of the common ideas you hea… - James Clear

First or last?

Sometimes the first move is the most important. The first set in the gym. Now you're working out. The first sentence. Now you're writing. The first call. Now you're in the game.

Other times, the last move is the most important. The last brick. Now the building is built. The last line of code. Now the app works. The last round of revisions. Now you can ship it.

What do you need to focus on right now? First or last? Do you need to start or finish?

When you drink water from a cup, it becomes part of you. When water falls on you like rain, it evaporates a few minutes later.

Similarly, thoughts can be consumed or dismissed. Is this thought nourishing? Is this feeling something you should drink? Or is it more like getting caught in the rain?

You'll always feel the rain, but you don't have to drink the rain. You can let the thought pass and in a few moments the sun will return. You don't have to claim everything you feel.

Whether you are an adult or child, your first attempts will often seem unimportant or foolish.

• The open mic night at a nearly empty bar.
• The early blog posts that get ignored.
• The dance recital on a little stage.

Early attempts are easy to dismiss because they don't seem to amount to much. But you have to do the low stakes stuff to prepare for the high stakes stuff. They are the building blocks of confidence, and that's an enormous thing.