“The key to getting ahead is getting started.”
-Mark Twain

A couple of nights ago my son and I watched an NBATV program interviewing the greatest shooters in basketball history. While it was fascinating to learn of the varieties of their craft, one simple message unified them all: always start your day with layups. Everyone of them preached that in order to hit long shots later, you had to warm up by hitting the easiest shots first.

That’s wisdom for all of us, today. We all have some half-court hail-Marys we’d love to make—raise great kids, earn more money, make a difference—but real change begins by practicing the layups right in front of us.

• Did you say ‘I love you’ to your spouse yet? Send a text right now.
• Can you take 20 seconds to consciously breathe? Don’t worry about technique—you don’t even have to close your eyes. Just concentrate in, and concentrate out. Even just once is enough.
• Have you complimented someone yet? Smile, and tell the next person you see, “You’ve got a nice smile.” Or “That’s a pretty coat.”
• What’s the easiest thing on your to-do list? Make it happen, and build momentum.

Yes, somedays, even layups like these are hard to make, but not usually. Just start shooting.