“Go First” -Gabby Reece

This week’s Monday motivation comes from Gabby Reece.  “Go First.”  Not much of a quote, but a pretty cool concept.  If you don’t know who Gabby Reece is, you should.  She is former professional beach volleyball player, model & TV personality.  She is married to legendary big wave surfer Laird Hamilton.  Together, they are 2 of the most interesting celebrities out there.

The concept behind her, “Go First,” is to go out of your way to say hello first, or smile first to anyone you come in contact with.  It has become so common nowadays, especially in this city, to keep your head down and keep to yourself.  It is so rare to interact with a stranger and have a friendly, personal interaction.  The idea is, it really doesn’t have to be hard.  If you make it a habit to, “go first,” you can so easily brighten someone else’s day.  The kicker is, that someone is just as likely to be you as it is the other person.

One of my mentors, is a very successful businessman from Montreal.  He comes down to NYC every few months, and we usually make time to grab dinner.  The thing I respect most about him is how he goes out of his way to try to get a smile out of everyone he interacts with.  Security guards, waiters, taxi drivers, you name it.  He works really hard to say something kind or funny, in an attempt to spread a little bit of joy.  Inevitably, everytime I see him, I am reminded I really need to slow down in order to enjoy the little moments in life.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love all things Italian.  In Italy, it is still common to greet anyone you are face to face with on the street with a “buon giorno” or a “buona sera.”  At first this is a little jarring, but very quickly it becomes very comforting, and feels natural.

For those of you working in hospitality, we all need to set this example in our restaurants in order to lead others to follow.  I tried to “go first” last week everywhere I went, and it felt great.  It wasn’t always easy, and I often caught myself missing opportunities.  Either way, the experiment was definitely worth the effort.  I hope to turn the concept into a personal habit.   I encourage you to try to “go first,” this week and I hope you can brighten a few days along the way.

Here is an audio link of Gabby discussing the concept with Tim Ferriss: https://soundcloud.com/tom-donald/gabrielle-reece-on-going-first

Have a great week!