…would you do anything differently?
We tend to tackle “firsts” with a special kind of energy. We give more to them. We immerse, offer up more of ourselves.
And then something happens. First becomes usual, and our energy shifts, ever so slightly. It’s normal – after all, you only get one first. It’s a distinct moment. After that, it’s all variations of something we’ve done before.
That is, until one more unique event arrives: the last time we do something. We tend to treat that moment differently, too.
The trouble with last, though, is that we don’t always get to know in advance when it’s happening. You always know a first, but lasts can be sneaky.
But last does have a special feature: we can imagine it better than we can a first. The challenge is that we don’t do it.
What if your next client were your last? Would that change how you do what you do? Would you give more? Take a risk? Be more forthright, honest, or authentic?
And most important: would it make a difference for that person?
Maybe you can’t treat every patient like your last. But you can try one and see what it feels like. And maybe – just maybe – there’s something in that last that should be an always.
