The First Time

Our life is full of 'First Times.'   From the moment we're born until that day we die, we face the first time we do things.  Brainstorm five special moments in your life that are marked in your memory as a 'First Time.'  Write them down. 

I hope most of those five 'First Times' were delightful, but I'm sure some could be tough.

What makes a First Time so memorable?  Did the experience flood your senses?  You could be told that EVERY human being experienced that moment from all millennia, but it doesn't matter.  No one experienced it as YOU did. 

Let me tell you a simple story of one of my 'First Times.'   Follow along as you may remember yours. 

I studied HARD for the written test.  I must've pored over that handbook 53 times.  I was an exceptionally good student.  I ACED the test.  Now it was time.  The First Time behind the wheel of our family car.  A dark blue AMC Sportabout.  Automatic.  My Mom drives the car out to Hollywood Avenue.  Parks it.  We switch places and there I am behind the wheel of the car.  For years, I watched my parents and all my siblings drive.  They all did it with ease.  In these last few months, I've studied them even harder.  How difficult could this be? 

Easy now.  Foot off the brake and move it to the gas.  Slowly.  The car inches forward. 

That's it!  Woo Hoo!  I'm driving!!!

As we go down the street, I feel a newfound freedom.  My head spins.  My mind wanders to all the places I can go and friends to visit.  …and we start going downhill.   I mean, this is a steep hill.  The car picks up momentum.  My foot is on the gas.  WHAT DO I DO!!  We veer a little left and then sharply to the right.  BAM!  We hit the curb which knocks my foot off the gas.  I'm SO embarrassed!  Mom is smiling.  She could always ease me through moments like this.  I put the car in park and begin again.

THIS was my first 'in body' experience of INCREASING momentum.  Mass times velocity …. going downhill made this car's massive frame go faster without me doing anything.  I felt out of control….and yet I was the one IN control.    All my senses jumped into first gear…spinning!  I was ALIVE!

Since then, how many THOUSANDS of times have I driven downhill and didn't blink.  It's incorporated into my everyday experience.  A routine.

It doesn't have to be that way, though.

Let me tell you another story.  As a consultant for 30 years, I travelled almost every week.  Sometimes 2 different cities in a week.  Later in my career, I had a few busy weeks of 5 different cities in the same week!  I was on planes A LOT.  Remember your first plane ride?  Me too!  Remember the nervous anticipation.  Remember boarding the plane and taking your seat.  Buckling in.  But the most memorable part was on the runway.  Your plane taxis to one end and stands still.  You hear the roar of the engines as turbines spin.  The plane jerks forward a bit and you feel the momentum push you back in your seat.  There's a dual feeling of terror and exhilaration as the craft hurtles down the runway, gathering speed.  You go faster than your body has EVER travelled before.  You feel every little bump in the runway.  And then there's that magical moment.  Liftoff!!  The nose lifts a bit.  Then the backend (gleefully) joins the front.  No more bumps.  You are GLIDING on AIR! 

Okay, I admit.  My engineer-nerdy self kicks in too.  An illustration of Bernoulli's principle with a wing and an engine pops into my head.  I smile.  Broadly.  This is Science MAGIC!

I CONSCIOUSLY think about this almost EVERY time I fly.  I re-create the excitement of that First Time … as my Every Time.  I marvel at the speed of these HUGE pieces of metal and how they just take off into the air.  Did you ever notice that every takeoff is as unique as a snowflake?   Indeed! 

People often ask, how did you keep a 30-year consulting career fresh?  Because every week was chocked FULL of First Times!  It's just a matter of perspective.

Pick an Every Day experience.  Take a deep breath and remember the 'First Time.'  Experience 'This Time' as you might have experienced the 'First Time.'  Notice the nuanced difference 'This Time.'  You may surprise yourself….and smile.

Learn Deeply!