🧭 The 5-Minute Mentor | Your First Domino

 🔥 5 Minutes of Leadership Fuel

✉️ This post is part of The 5-Minute Mentor — my weekly leadership newsletter. If you’d like to get it delivered straight to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

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Welcome to The 5-Minute Mentor — your weekly dose of leadership inspiration, curated resources, and practical action. All in under 5 minutes.

Activating Your Genius in 5,4,3,2,1… 🤩

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🫶 A Dose of Inspiration

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

To own your day is to protect what matters most. Not from a place of anxiety or perfection, but from possibility, clarity, and intention.

📥 Download the quote graphic to use in your next staff email or meeting.

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🤓 A Dose of Learning

If you started January with clear goals and good intentions, but you’re already feeling the pull of competing demands, endless to-do lists, and the quiet question of “Am I actually making progress on what matters?”… you’re not alone.

This is the gap between new-year intentions and mid-January reality.

The issue isn’t a lack of motivation. It’s that most of us are busy, but not always effective. We fill our calendars, check off tasks, and still end the day wondering if we moved the needle on what truly matters.

So what separates the people who follow through from those stuck in restart mode?

Jay Papasan and his team at The ONE Thing studied more than 400 high achievers who successfully reached their goals. They found five repeatable practices that create momentum, not through working harder (because… for real 😅), but through smarter design.

The Five Practices of High Achievers:

1. Alignment before action – Ensuring your goals reflect what truly matters most, not just what sounds impressive (Can you hear me saying “Amen!” over here? Identifying your core values is not airy, fairy work. See 5 Steps to Getting Clear on Your Personal Core Values for more.)
2. Identify your first domino – Finding one small but meaningful action that creates momentum
3. Time blocking – Putting your priority action on your calendar to turn intention into execution
4. Defend your calendar – Actively protecting committed time from competing demands
5. Accountability beyond willpower – Building external systems rather than relying solely on self-discipline

Let’s pause on number two: your first domino.

What is a “first domino”?

Your first domino is the one action that, when you knock it down, makes everything else easier or unnecessary, creating a disproportionate momentum. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing the right thing… the thing that creates a ripple effect. #wootwoot

Think of it this way: most leaders have a long list of priorities. But not all priorities are created equal. Your first domino is the priority that unlocks progress on what’s important.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck, ask yourself: What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?

That question cuts through the noise. It helps you move from busy to effective.

And the really cool thing? A great first domino has been backed up and broken down so much so that it is a doable, tiny action.

The supporting structure

Once you’ve identified your first domino, the other four practices become the structure that protects it:

• Time blocking ensures it actually gets done
• Defending your calendar keeps distractions from stealing your focus
• Accountability keeps your commitment up when motivation fades
• Alignment ensures you’re building toward what truly matters to you

These aren’t about piling on more habits. They’re about creating conditions where meaningful progress can happen… even on your worst days.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: We Studied 400 High Achievers for 4 Months – This is What We Learned | The ONE Thing Podcast

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🌀 A Dose of Reflection

Take a few minutes this week to identify your first domino. These questions can help you cut through the noise and find the one action that matters most right now.

Reflect:

1. What’s the one thing I could do such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?
   ​Think about your current goals and priorities. Which single action would create the most momentum?
2. Where am I spending my time vs. where I should be spending my time?
   ​Notice the gap between busy and effective. What’s getting your attention that doesn’t deserve it?
3. What’s standing between me and my first domino?
   ​Is it alignment? Time? Clarity? Naming the obstacle is the first step to removing it.
4. What’s the smallest, most doable version of this action?
   ​Remember: a great first domino has been backed up and broken down so much that it’s a tiny, doable action you can start today.

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You got this. Let’s lead with belief.

In your corner,
​Melody​
​Founder, Culture of Belief

PS: I’ll have the tacos with a moral, please. 🌮⚖️

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