In this motivational monologue, Leigh Thomas Brown uses the running "first mile" metaphor to illustrate how the hardest part of any endeavor—whether a jog or a sales outreach—is simply getting started. He explains that the initial mile feels painful, but once completed, subsequent miles become easier as the body and mind loosen up. He parallels this with the "almost ready" curse that many agents face: fear of rejection and over‑thinking prevent them from making that first cold call. By dialing the first prospect, agents experience a reality check—people are generally courteous, not hostile—making the next call easier and building momentum. Brown urges listeners to stop fixating on negative expectations, focus on the appreciative audience, and consistently take action, thereby turning hesitant agents into successful business builders who enjoy long‑term growth.
Chapters
This is what most people don't tell you about running. They lace their shoes up and they say, "Oh, I just love to go." They're liars. They are liars because that first mile is hard. Getting out of bed is really hard. Getting dressed is hard too. But getting started, nobody wants to. However, I know this: the first mile gets gone, and then the second mile, all right, my blood's moving. Third mile, I can do this. Fourth mile, I finally loosen up. That's the other secret to running. It takes mile 4 before you loosen up. And then my body can actually go much further because as it turns out, my body was never the problem. It was me, my head. I have to get over that. That's the same thing in getting over your almost ready curse. You didn't call anybody because you were afraid of rejection. Well, if you call the first one, it's going to be hard. They don't want to talk to me. I don't have anything to say, the market's terrible, whatever excuse you've given yourself, if you call them and say, hey, ringy dingy, it's Leigh Thomas Brown with One Community, you know what they're gonna say? If they answer, they're gonna say, hey, what you doing? And then you have a conversation. That's your first mile. And then you say, well, that actually— okay, I survived it. Let me do mile 2. Then you call the second person. And it got even easier because the first call was done. And you realize people are actually nicer than you gave them credit for. Most people are not jerks. Most people are not going to cuss you out. So, Stop thinking about the negative people in the world. Don't let the negatives take you away from all the positive people who really appreciate your expertise. They like you enough to hear you out, and they might just turn into your best source of business. And then you'll realize you've overcome the curse of the almost ready agent, 'cause now you're out there doing the things that make you successful for the people who appreciate you, building a business that you can love for a long time to come.
