Be First (2 Min Read) | Vol. 165

August 22, 2025

“We are so afraid of the pain of rejection that sometimes what we miss is that on the other side of our fear of rejection is actually the connection that we desire.” – Liz Forkin Bohannon

Be First

Last week, I got to interview Liz Bohannon, founder of Sseko Designs (now Noonday Collection) and author of Beginner’s Pluck. Our conversation and her subsequent keynote at our CEO Summit dove deep into building connection and community.

Bohannon hit me with a tough stat that 97% of small business owners would say that they have felt really alone and unsupported in their journey. And as many as 70% would say they felt alone now. 

One of the threads she pulled through was the idea of being first, but not the way you’d expect. Not first to cross the finish line or first in sales or profits. She wasn’t talking about competing for checkered flags or business recognition. Bohannon invited us to be vulnerable first in the name of connection. Be first to ask for help. 

We like to help those we like. Thanks to a quirk of cognitive dissonance, our brains get it backward. We like the people we help. As much as we might think seeking help is a withdrawal, in reality, it’s a deposit. 

Connection comes from contribution. 

“It may not feel like it in the moment,” she wrote, “but make no mistake: you’re not just asking for help. You’re also giving a sacred gift: permission for others to do the same.”

This reminded me of our first 4×4 Bootcamp in April.

Our goal was to help busy professionals reclaim 4 hours a week and build a repeatable system to do less, better. And it delivered on that promise. But something else happened that I didn’t expect.

Participants kept saying, “I don’t feel alone anymore.”

It wasn’t just reclaiming control of their schedules and getting clear on their priorities. There was the unexpected value of being in a room with others wrestling with the same questions. Not just about what matters most, but how to hold onto the things that matter most when everything else is pulling you in twelve directions.

Our next 4×4 Bootcamp starts August 25th. If you’re ready to reclaim focus with others who get it, I’d love for you to join us. Registration opens today and closes at 9 pm CT. Save your spot.

And when you do show up, be first. Be first to say hello, ask questions, and celebrate wins—yours and others. Be first to ask for the help you need. 

One question to ponder in your thinking time: What am I not asking for out of fear of being a burden? 

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan
Co-author of The ONE Thing & The Millionaire Real Estate Agent