How to Be the Best: You need to Be Specific

"We're the best Laurie and Jackie doing stand-up comedy."

So you think you can Be the Best. (I see you, Aubrey/Drake.)

Let me tell you a tale.

You've made Your Dream Board! Now what?

"Uh...You tell me!"

Congratulations! You've learned How to Build Your First Dream Board. You did the work. And your Dream Board is complete.

"We did it!"

So, what's your next step?

Here are the three best things to do once you've made your Dream Board:

How to Get Anything You Want: the You Better Ask Somebody edition

"But whom should I ask?"

The first Somebody is You.

Yes, you, Xo.

Before you ask someone else for help with your goal, you need to put that goal on your Dream Board.

Next, you need to ask yourself these questions:

How to Get Anything You Want: the Be Specific edition

"We did it (despite the patriarchy excoriating our every move)!"

How do you get anything you want?

Put it on your Dream Board.

"But I did that already, Mahlena." 

 Has it worked?

"Not yet."

Then let's do something different.

I don't know what I'm doing.

I've got lots of questions.

For the past few years/most of my adult life, I have endeavored to present a picture of myself to the world as an exceptionally qualified professional person.

I wanted my brand to say, "Mahlena is a kind, collaborative team player who brings excellence and a quiet curiosity to what role she find herself in."

I spent much of my education and my career being told--often by accomplished black professionals--that if I showed up, worked hard and played hard, was the first one to arrive and the last one to leave, double-checked and triple-checked my projects, did twice as much to get half as far, and a bunch of other platitudes from The Book of Respectability Politics, verses 1 through infinity, then I would find success in my chosen field.

That did not happen.