To give your best effort, do it like it’s the LAST TIME you are doing it.

Presented by Moises Marin on August 22, 2020

“You are going to live literally like a god and then at the end of the year, you’re a living symbol and we are going to sacrifice you!” How could you not be intrigued by this premise? Wait, it does get better! There’s so much to like in this speech: originality, humor, inspiration. I hope you enjoy this great piece of writing as much as I have! Thanks to Moises for giving Seattle Sunrise the permission to publish his speech here!

Who here has uploaded a video on YouTube?

Congratulations you are a Content Creator!

Youtube has a monthly Newsletter for content creators like yourselves with useful information on how to empower individuals to become more effective creators.

On the Newsletter of March 2019 a content creator was asked this question: 

– How do you know you are creating the best video that you can?

– Well , I know I am making the best videos I can because when I make a video I ask myself, “Hey, what if this  was the last video I could ever make?” That pushes me to give the best I have and not save efforts for a later time.

Fellow toastmasters and guests, To give your best effort, do it like it’s the LAST TIME you are doing it.

Would you prepare your speech differently if it was the last time you were giving a speech in your club ?

Would you organize a meeting differently if it was the last time you are meeting with your team  in person?

To give your best effort, do it like it’s the LAST TIME you are doing it.

Let’s go back in time to 1520, to the aztec festival of the fifth month.

In this festivity  the Aztecs would take a young person and basically say “hey you’re going to pretend you are God for about a year and you’re going to enjoy yourself”.

He was taught courtly speech, singing and to play the flute.

Through the year he would parade in the streets and be treated with great reverence.

Several times during the year he would meet with the Aztec ruler who would ritually adorn him.

The month before the Festival of the fifth month, aka the fourth month he would be ritually wed to four maidens who impersonated 4 aztec goddesses and live with them for twenty days.

You are going to live literally like a god and then at the end of the year, you’re a living symbol and we are going to sacrifice you.

Then there was a selection of a new man to take that role in the year to come.

Fellow Content Creators, would you create content differently if it was the last time you were doing it?

Would you perform the art of being you differently if it was the last year you have to do it … and you had godlike resources available?

If, like the YouTube creator from the interview, you were creating something for the last time chances are you would use everything you have at your disposal, you wouldn’t save anything for later because there would be no other time.

Fellow heads in a square on a screen, 

Would you run differently if it was the last time you were running a marathon?

Would hugging a friend feel differently if it was the last time you can give a hug due to mandatory social distance?

To give your best effort, do it like it’s the LAST TIME you are doing it.

Rock climbing without equipment.

Skydiving.

An interview to get a new job.

One time events, do not give you a second chance.

You have to perform at your best because else could mean failure, death or worse, unemployment.

When you are packing your parachute before a skydive, will you not do your best effort?

You can get additional inspiration , motivation and energy for an activity if you think it’s the last time you are doing it.

This is an ingredient in the recipe for success.

A poem from a scarified god impersonator goes like this

What am I to go with?

Will I leave nothing behind me on earth?

How should my heart act?

Do we in vain come to live,

to sprout on the ground?

Let’s at least leave flowers

Let’s at least leave songs

Fellow toastmasters, our daily activities will sometimes take us to valleys of disappointment and sometimes to peaks of success. What is certain is that every day can be DAY ONE for finding the way to the peaks of accomplishment.

Let’s empower our daily activities by thinking it’s the LAST TIME we are doing them.