The Power of Firsts and Lasts
This week, I’m here in Texas preparing to deliver my last keynote of the year. As I walked into the venue, I felt the energy of the team, and reviewed the message I get to share, something unexpected washed over me—Happiness. Excitement. Gratitude. Hope.
Not sadness.
Not loss.
Not that sinking feeling we sometimes attach to “the last time.”
It reminded me of something we don’t talk about enough: the importance of doing things for the first time and the last time—and how both moments shape who we become.
Why First Times Matter
There’s something electric about a first.
The first keynote. The first job. The first big risk. The first yes.
Firsts invite us into possibility. They stretch us beyond who we were yesterday and introduce us to the version of ourselves that could exist tomorrow.
When we do something for the first time:
We remember what courage feels like.
We reconnect to curiosity instead of certainty.
We practice being beginners… humble, hungry, open.
We build stories, skills, and memories that shape our identity.
Firsts create momentum. They remind us that growth is not only possible, but waiting for us the moment we choose to step forward.
Why Last Times Matter
And lasts…
Lasts hit differently.
And sometimes we as people can automatically assume that “the last time” is inherently sad, like something is ending, or goodbye, a door closing.
Yet here I am, finishing my final keynote of the year, feeling lighter, more energized, more aligned than ever.
Because sometimes the last time isn’t about loss.
Sometimes the last time is about:
Completion
Celebration
Maturity
Expansion
Readiness for what’s next
The last time can be THE marker of growth:
I can say with certainty I am no longer who I was when I started this year and that’s something worth celebrating for me. I liked the old me, and I really like the new me too :)
The last time can be a moment of gratitude:
We get to pause and appreciate how far we’ve come. I am SO thankful I get to do what I get to do for my living!
The last time can be a launch pad:
This chapter (2025) is coming to a complete, so we can begin the next one with intention.
When we honor the “lasts” in our life, we notice how much we have changed, learned, contributed, survived, created, and transformed.
What Firsts and Lasts Teach Us
Both firsts and lasts reveal something powerful:
Firsts teach us to trust ourselves.
Lasts teach us to appreciate ourselves.
Firsts spark momentum.
Lasts close loops so we can create new ones.
Firsts push us into growth.
Lasts remind us we have grown.
Together, they form the rhythm of our meaningful life.
The life where we are awake.
The life where we pay attention.
The life where we honor the moments that change us.
The Question Worth Asking
As I wrap up this final keynote of the year, here’s the question on my mind—and maybe it’s worth asking ourselves more often:
What is something we want to do for the first time next year… and what is something we are ready to do for the last time?
Because our firsts define who we are becoming.
And our lasts define what we are outgrowing.
Both are sacred.
Both are necessary.
Both help us go from A moment in our life to THE moments that shape who we are.
And today, I’m grateful for both. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey of discovering the differences between A vs THE! I am so glad you are here :)