The power of being first

Hey guys, before I put up the content of my topic, I just want to apologize for being away for a while. And I also want to say that my birthday was 2 weeks ago and It was fun

And there was a small but very lovely cake

Ps: I'm still open to gifts. And if someone out there is wondering, yes, @ishotz took the first photo of me...

Now to my post,

THE POWER OF BEING FIRST....
I recall vividly how much I valued being first in my class in primary school. I was consistently among the top 3 pupils in class but that was nothing compared to being first.
Taking the first position in my class gave me a feeling of accomplishment and also exposed me to opportunities. Taking first is every little child's honour.
Others can take second but the person who takes first is much respected compared to the second and third runner-ups. I hope you understand that.

If you can take your mind a little back, you'll agree with me that it's difficult to remember who had the second and third position in your class except they were your friends. But the first in the class, you'll never forget.
So if it's difficult to remember the second and third in the class, what about the person who took sixth in the class.
Can you recall the name?
Now you must have been told that no one has used up-to 20 percent of the brain yet. We learnt about how the brain can store any information. Now do you wonder why we find it difficult to remember people who are not first in something?
Let's consider my country (Nigeria).......
Probably you know the first president of Nigeria. So who is the second president of the country? Who is the second woman to drive a car in Nigeria? Who is the second English man to navigate the Niger?
Did your brain recall that immediately?
Does that tell you something?
Our brain can store large information but it does this in categories. Once it picks and establishes the first, others follow.
So what happens after that?
The work is when we need to recall those information, the first in each category is what comes up first. This is not a weakness, it's only a peculiarity.
The power of being first is displayed by Coca Cola. No matter what any soft drink company may do or produce, coke/soda will always have the largest share of the soft drinks market.
That's still the reason why Jumia is stronger than Konga/Yulanda. That's why try as it may, Globacom is still second to MTN.
Who gets most of the contracts in road construction in Nigeria? Julius Berger of course.
They've established that position that people trust them and care less to check the quality of their work compared to other new comers in the construction field.
Now let's consider this information in another direction. If you are not a lover of tennis, you may only know the best tennis player in the world (Roger Federer) but not the second. There are many people answering John Kennedy, but there's only one John Kennedy known all over the globe.
There's a great power behind being first in anything. Breakthroughs always come when you are the first in people's mind in what you do. A great pity that many people want to copy someone and be that person.

No copier becomes better than the copied.

Now you can think that through. Do you remember Steve Harris?
I listened to his podcast and he said something that struck me. He said that when he went into public speaking, he discovered that he was always going to be hidden behind Fela Durotoye. He recognized that Fela was the king in motivational speaker and the best he could ever be was the crown prince. And as long as the King is there, it will be foolish trying to overtake him. With this realization, he had to look for another niche where he could be first.
It is a foolish decision to try to overtake someone who is better known than you in something. It is not bad to be second though, or third.
In business, the first performs far better compared to the rest combined. Instead of being second or lost in a niche, look for a smaller niche within the bigger niche and establish yourself as the first. There's no need trying to topple the king unless you have enough money to throw around. Create another kingdom where you can rule. But please note that being the first does not necessarily mean the first to start something. It means the one who was the first to be known and recognized by all. Can you read the last paragraph again please?
If you are in a niche that's not yet well known, capitalize on that and stamp your authority. This you can do by promoting that niche with your name/brand attached to it.
Being first can be compared to your name or business coming up first when your category is searched on Google. Can the second become the first?
Yes but not in all situations.
Be intentional in building your brand. Establish your name to be first and let the rest work to catch up with you. If people think about your niche, will they recall you first?
Good news is that it's not too late to be first. It needs smart and skillful efforts from you.
Have a lovely day