Many of us dream of a fantasy world without problems. In reality, we all will meet obstacles and suffer setbacks or misfortunes. Realize that security is an illusion. No matter how well we plan and prepare for the future, problems will sometimes wear us down, drain vitality and enthusiasm, and make our goals seem out of reach. Discouragement is like quicksand; we must pull ourselves out quickly or sink ever deeper. To keep discouragement at bay, recall past successes. Record in a notebook every time you've overcome a hardship. Write down every successful incident you can remember from childhood to the present, and read this list as often as you can.

That in order to be good at selling, you have to first fall in love with what you do. "You don't sell your product, because every product in the world has some validity, and there is another product out there that will satisfy the customer's need just as well." What quality do successful salespeople have that others don't? According to Dyer, the answer is serenity. They work for the customer's quota, not the quota their companies set. They're always asking, "How can I serve you?" Whether making a presentation, following up with customers, prospecting, networking, or closing, the difference between your average performer and your top performer will always be enthusiasm.

"The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self."

You know that what you say to prospects can make or break your presentation, but what you say to yourself can be just as important. Self-talk affects your attitude, and your attitude affects sales performance. Are you aware of any tendencies to engage in negative self-talk, either to yourself or to others? Increase your awareness so that you stop talking down to yourself. Make a commitment to start sending yourself more positive and constructive messages.

Anatole France once commented, "We do not know what to do with this short life, yet we yearn for another that will be eternal." When we solve problems, we feel satisfied. By solving problems, we develop into who we are. That is why it is so important to develop good habits when it comes to our choices. Once we accept responsibility for our own accomplishments and growth by choosing wise paths for ourselves, our options become more abundant and clear. Remember: whenever you make choices, you are also creating yourself.

Certain people seem to have a gift for rising above setbacks. They appear to glide from one stage of life to another, gathering steam and accolades as they go. But what do these people have in common? The secret is the way they look at failure. What some people think of as failure, these folks see as a natural part of a process. Setbacks are part of our evolution. Start thinking of so-called mistakes as a chance to reinvent yourself and move forward with curiosity and adventure.

Stop whatever you're doing and delight in being alive! Sense the physical processes inside you, the good in people around you, and the beauty of the world you live in. Keep everything in context; smile and laugh (especially at yourself). Accept and embrace change. No matter what you want, whatever happens is going to happen. Be fit for success. Exercise and take care of yourself. Speed up your body action by moving to music, stretching, or jogging. Movement helps eliminate pent-up stress by aiding the removal of stress-produced chemicals that make you feel bad.

Here are some strategic self-evaluation questions to which successful people always know the answers: 1) What is life's purpose for you? 2) What do you want out of life? 3) What makes you happy? 4) Can you overcome the competition? 5) How can you prepare yourself so that your goals prevail? If you answer these questions, pretty soon a clear picture of what you really want and are good at will begin to emerge. Then you'll be able to choose where you will go with your life and how you will get there.

Start giving more. One of the best ways to build yourself up is to help others. Giving someone else a helping hand is a sure-fire way to feel needed. Every week or month, schedule some volunteer work at a hospital, nursing home, animal shelter, or anywhere else you might be needed. Spend some time helping a friend or neighbor who is ill or has other serious problems. Giving of yourself to others may help you view yourself in a more positive light and gives the people you're helping a chance to let you know just how valuable you are.

"Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you."

Most people assume that the path to success starts at the bottom and moves increasingly upward, but this is not the case. The path to success is never a straight ascension. Not only will there be setbacks, but there will be backtracks, digressions, and periods of aimless stagnation. The important thing is never to remain stuck in any of these states. That is why it is so important to examine your progress routinely in relation to your goals. Setbacks are easy to identify, but digressions and stagnation are more insidious obstacles. Never allow these circumstances to cause you to fall short of what you have set your mind to achieve.

"Worry often gives a small thing a great shadow."

As a sales professional, how are you using social media to enhance your core selling activities? In a social-media world, sales managers fear that their reps will end up wasting time chasing the wrong customers down rabbit holes. Your goal on social media should be, first and foremost, to listen, and listen carefully. What are your customers saying about you and your competition? What are their concerns and worries? Jump in with an answer only if you have relevant, useful, and targeted information to share. Nothing will increase your chances of being ignored faster than an obvious sales pitch. In order to make a successful connection on social media, you must first listen.

Sometimes salespeople can get so caught up in the day-to-day grind that they forget to stop and look at the big picture. Today, check your long-term goals and plans (these should be written down somewhere). Are you on track to meeting these goals? Do you need to modify anything or change your daily behavior in order to attain what you most want in life? Which goals are no longer relevant or need to be updated? At the end of every week, month, and quarter, salespeople are hustling to make their numbers. In the never-ending race to the finish line, don't neglect to take the actions that will help you achieve the larger goals in work and life.

When things change in our life, often we have resistance to the change. But if you understand the structure of the Universe, life, and creation, then you will understand that life is change, and nothing ever stands still. Everything is energy, and energy is in continual motion and change. If energy stood still you would be gone, and there would be no life. 
Change is always happening for the good of you and for everyone. It is the evolution of life.

"Problems should be solved on the spot, as soon as they arise. No frontline employee should have to wait for a supervisor's permission."

Let's face it: almost anything can cause stress. Stressors are different for each person, and they can be positive or negative. There's no doubt about it – selling can be a very stressful profession. There is pressure to prospect, sell, service, deliver, and make your numbers – and still try to balance your personal life and sales career. How can you cope? Plan your work and work your plan. Set achievable, not impossible, goals. If you can, delegate tasks to other people and concentrate on what you do best – selling. Remember that if there's a problem with a customer, it's not personal; it's just business.

"Dreams do come true. Yes, even yours. But you have to meet them part way. Get up and do something towards them. Now."

Ask 10 people to define success, and you'll probably get 10 different answers. Over the years, executive coach Tony Jeary says success is defined as "achieving objectives we have established in advance. Anything else is by chance or serendipity," he writes in his book Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life. "The most successful people live their lives on purpose. They don't sit around waiting to see what might happen next."

"Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom."

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."

In addition to having the skills needed to make a sale (prospecting, presenting, closing, etc.), salespeople also must be proficient in management skills. These include time management, self-management, and even boss management. But managing your boss doesn't mean bossing your manager. It means understanding your boss and managing yourself. Stop trying to change your boss. The key to building a better relationship is a willingness to change yourself. Many salespeople underestimate the power they have to improve a situation by changing their own behavior.

"I learn something new about the game almost every time I step on the course."

It isn't just your attitude, behavior, and personality that dictate how well you're prepared to succeed. The technology and tools you use also say a lot about your capacity to deliver great results. Has it been too long since you upgraded your mobile devices? Do you make regular use of online solutions that can help you sell better and faster? Make sure you're using the tools that positively influence how customers see you and your professionalism.

"NOW is the time. The Universe likes SPEED. Don’t delay, don’t second-guess, don’t doubt. When the opportunity or impulse is there… ACT!"

When misfortune rears its ugly head, it's easy to overlook the opportunities hiding behind it. Disappointment often clouds our vision so that we can't see all the good things problems leave in their wake. Though setbacks and problems may deprive us of things we thought we wanted, there's often something even better on the horizon. Before you let adversity get you down, make sure your problem isn't hiding a golden opportunity; take a moment to remember how it actually can help you reach your goals.

"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him. "

For some salespeople, their relationship with their boss has very little impact on their work/life happiness. For others, however, managers have a significant impact on how they feel about their work/life balance and even their day-to-day lives. It is important for both managers and salespeople to be cognizant of the different dynamics at play and actively work together toward building a stronger relationship. Doing so will not only increase work/life happiness but also improve on-the-job efficiency and productivity.

Starting a sales career is like flying a plane: to get off the ground, you must have full throttle. But you can't keep it at that speed or the engine will burn out. When the plane reaches cruising altitudes, you pull back a little bit. This is the way sales careers go. At a certain point, you have to take off at full throttle and get to the height where you cruise for a while. The most important thing to remember is to keep your fuel levels high and stay pointed in the right direction.

"Ambition is at the very core of success and extraordinary achievement. Unlike greed, it's a powerful, creative and constructive force."

In childhood, we are measured by dietary, health, and intelligence quotas; in youth, by performance quotas; in adulthood, by achievement quotas; and, in old age, by the success with which we have met the quota standards of all three periods. One has to be better than average to achieve 100 percent in anything, whether it be an ordinary spelling bee or a competitive test of physical fitness. In business, make it your goal to establish a record of preparation, application, and execution that is unquestionable proof of personal ability.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

It might sound odd, but money is not the root of great motivation. We all share a desire to get better and better at something that matters. Whether you're a great artist, athlete, software developer, or sales professional, you need room to grow. The best way to tap into intrinsic motivation, according to author Daniel Pink, is to take the issue of money off the table and put the focus on the work itself: "The more prominent salary, perks, and benefits are in someone's work life, the more they can inhibit creativity and unravel performance."

Want a starting point for keeping yourself pumped up? Start by watching the company you keep. Every sales team has a grumblers' table, where naysayers gather to share stories of failure. Never take a seat at that table. Negativity multiplies and, pretty soon, failure and rejection seem normal. Begin to believe that, and soon you'll believe that there is no exit to a rosier future. Choose instead to spend your time with people who can help get you back on track.

Technically, every job is temporary (as is life). The trouble with the "temporary" attitude is that it makes us take the tasks at hand less seriously than is necessary to do an outstanding job. The result is that salespeople who take their jobs seriously tend to move up the career ladder faster than those who think sales is a temporary thing. Commit yourself to sales, and watch your success take off.

"Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it."

"Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, "What's in it for me?""

"Character is much easier kept than recovered. "

It's always easier to face problems when you're prepared. The last thing you want to be thinking when a crisis hits is, "Where do I go from here?" The problem associated with this reaction is the time it takes to plan after the fact. In essence, you have two problems: one is the actual problem, and the other is your emotional energy. You can't prevent problems from creeping into your life, but you can prepare. Start to protect yourself today from the unexpected by anticipating problems or reviewing major challenges from the past. Build alternatives to better navigate obstacles, and you'll keep your momentum up.

"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks."

Salespeople are great at brushing off rejections. While it's true that every no leads you closer to a yes, there's a fine line between healthy optimism and denial. Don't ignore real frustration or try to put on a happy face if you really feel down. Constantly suppressing negative feelings often leads to a short temper. Instead of lying to yourself, acknowledge the lost opportunities and the fact that they don't feel good – and then continue working.

To achieve your goals, you need to stay focused, even if it means giving up things you'd rather do. When Ron Rice quit his teaching and lifeguarding jobs to found the suntan-lotion company Hawaiian Tropic, he left the beach behind and did everything himself. He mixed the lotion, bottled it, sold it, packed it into boxes, and delivered it to beaches and pool decks along the East Coast. He stayed focused on his goal of making Hawaiian Tropic a household name. Eventually, the other lifeguards who used to kid him about how hard he worked were left on the beach while he went on to great

"I just knew, even though I had not yet named the technique, that a gift with a purchase was very appealing."

Treat yourself with the compassion and kindness that you'd show to others. Suppose things were going badly for a friend or colleague. You wouldn't say, "You're right, Joe. You really are a loser. Things look pretty hopeless for you." So if you wouldn't do that to a suffering friend, why do you berate yourself? If your mind is filled with negative self-talk – "I'm no good," "I'm a failure," or "I'll flub this call like all the others" – stop those thoughts in their tracks. Next time a self-deprecating thought comes to mind, write it down. Then read it aloud, but pretend someone else is saying it you. Doesn't it make you want to rush to your own defense?

"Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first."

"The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance."

You can most certainly help others through your thoughts, and they can help you. Every good thought you send to another is a living force.

However, the person you are sending the thought to has to be asking for the same thing you are sending. If the person does not want it, then they are not in harmony with your thought frequency, and it will not penetrate them. 
You cannot create in another’s life against their will, but if it is something they want, your thoughts are a real force that helps them.

An amazing number of salespeople suffer from a lack of belief in their own talents and abilities. They become their own worst enemies. When you predict you can't, you work harder to prove just that. You might even avoid asking for the order to remove the possibility of rejection. But when a customer says no, it does not mean the end of the world, your life, or your career. It only means that the customer has chosen to say no at that particular moment. It does not mean that the customer will say no forever. Remind yourself how many times you've been able to turn a no into a yes in the past to restore belief in your own abilities.

Plato once wrote, "He who does well must of necessity be happy." That thought brings up two questions: Are you doing well? Are you happy? If the answer is yes to both questions, you're on the right track. If you think you are doing well but feel a lack of happiness, then you must consider two questions: How can you continue to make other people happy if you are unhappy? What can you do to be happier?

"I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more."

In sales, we hear a lot about winners and losers. But top achievers don't restrict their thinking or adhere to rigid characterizations. Instead, they accept people for who they are as individuals. They are flexible in their business dealings and favor compromise. They refuse to think that there is only one right answer to every question. They allow themselves to trust others, and they accept people as they are without judging them.

"It isn't where you came from; it's where you're going that counts."

"Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming."

There is no such thing as a bad omen. There's also no such thing as a good omen. Both of these beliefs represent superstitious thinking. That can be a dangerous path to tread. When something bad happens, don't assume that more bad things are likely to follow. When something good happens, it won't automatically be balanced out by something bad. Focus your mind on the things you can control. You can't predict the future, but you can always control your reaction to whatever comes your way – good or bad.

Anything that anyone desires is because they think their desire will make them happy. Whether it is health, money, a loving relationship, material things, accomplishments, a job, or anything at all, the desire for happiness is the bottom line of all of them. But remember that happiness is a state inside of us, and something on the outside can only bring fleeting happiness, because material things are impermanent. 
Permanent happiness comes from you choosing to be permanently happy. When you choose happiness, then you attract all the happy things as well. The happy things are the icing on the cake, but the cake is happiness.

Tough times can lead smart business executives to make irrational decisions. While some companies rush to trim their payrolls, others rush to boost promotions. While some customers see great opportunity in tough times, others see in them an immobilizing personal setback. What determines the toll on selling is our own attitude. If current events or changes at your company are bringing you down, put your focus elsewhere. Find a silver lining, or take time out to relax and recharge. If you can keep a balanced mind, you'll make balanced decisions.

"I am grateful for all of my problems. After each one was overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties."

Francis Bacon wrote, "He who will not apply new remedies must expect new evils." But it's not that easy. Pushing too hard for change creates anxiety and resistance. Change imposed is change opposed. To make prospects and customers respond positively, first sell the underlying idea involved. Next, make the buyer believe the idea was his or hers, not yours. Finally, congratulate the customer for having good judgment when he or she accepts the action you had in mind.

Nothing can make a career grow faster than your reputation as an idea generator. Any potential for improvement you observe can be money in the bank. Keep your eyes and ears open. If you see a money-making or money-saving opportunity, get the message across to management pronto. Your interest and concern will make you stand out from the crowd and be remembered when promotion time rolls around. Victor Hugo wrote, "Nothing is so powerful as an idea whose time has come."

"Do not wait: the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along."

"A work well begun is half-ended."

"Winning isn't everything. Wanting to win is."

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

You're making a presentation to a key prospect. Are your points coming across? Are you heading toward pay dirt? Are you impressing or depressing the customer? Is the buyer solidly on your wave length or getting more bored by the minute? In a nutshell, how are you doing? The sooner you find out, the better you can respond to close the sale or take overdue corrective action. When the signs appear negative, a discreet question or two puts the dialogue back on track.

DAY

"The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity."

"Wisdom is knowing what to do; virtue is doing it."

"Don't argue for other people's weaknesses. Don't argue for your own. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from it immediately. "

"There is a criterion by which you can judge whether the thoughts you are thinking and the things you are doing are right for you. The criterion is: Have they brought you inner peace?"

"Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true. "

There's no such thing as a sure-thing account. Every customer, regardless of affiliation or social or family ties, must be served professionally in every regard to ensure long-time allegiance. Business is business, and whatever the relationship, no businessperson will stand for unbusinesslike performance. A sales rep must work as hard as possible for every customer to ensure continuing relationships. How hard will you work today?

Focus on what it takes to succeed, not on why success is so difficult. Focus, not on the obstacle, but on action needed to overcome the obstacle. Focus on positive words – benefit, beauty, profit – not on negative words (e.g., mistake, poor, wrong). Focus on the reward that will be yours when you succeed.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

“On any one day you can massively change the direction of your life.”

If you find yourself in a negative situation with someone in your life, take a few minutes each day to feel love within your heart for that person, and then send it out into the Universe. Just doing this one thing helps to remove any resentment, anger, or negativity towards that person. 
Remember that feeling resentment, anger, or any negative emotion attracts it back to you. Feeling love attracts love back to you. What you are feeling for another, you are bringing to you.

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."

If selling were easy, anyone could do it. What makes it so tough? In a nutshell, sales professionals are trying to solve problems for people who are aware of pain but not of their problems. This creates a barrier. But the buyers need you as much as you need them. The trick is to get this message across. Millions do it. Why not you?

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going."

"Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision."

"Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress."

You are an electromagnetic being emitting a frequency. Only those things that are on the same frequency as the one you are emitting can come into your experience. Every single person, event, and circumstance in your day is telling you what frequency you are on. 
If your day is not going well, stop and deliberately change your frequency. If your day is going swimmingly, keep doing what you are doing.

Doubt and skepticism are the opposite of belief. A sales professional's job is to cancel a prospect's doubt and replace it with belief. If the prospect doesn't express doubt, look out. There's a brain working and an ethical system behind skepticism. Keep in mind that skepticism is the launching pad for belief. Belief is contagious. Remove your own skepticism about your company and the product or service you sell. The more fervently you believe, the better your chances of converting others.

"The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up."

"it is time to get back to basics: to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for others, to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family, and not shuffling it off on the state."

If you want to succeed in sales, you have to make your customers feel special. Don't let them forget the critical role they play. Listen to your customers' problems and needs. Communicate often: "How are you doing?" "I have an idea that might interest you." "I was just thinking of you." "Any problems or needs I can help you with?" Get the message across that they are special and important to you – not once in a while but all the time.

"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. "

"No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind the door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around."

In selling, perception determines reception – how do you come across to prospects and buyers, associates, and superiors? Is your mind open to new ideas? Do you radiate optimism and enthusiasm? Do you smile a lot? Do you make friends easily? Are you receptive to change? Do you have a positive attitude? If you can't answer yes to most of these questions, it's time to reconsider the image you're projecting to the world.

Meeting sales goals is rarely easy. Even in good times, no one ever beat a path to your door. In many respects, sales has gotten harder today. Companies that used to have three or four healthy competitors suddenly have 15 or 20 starving buzzards hovering, squawking for meat. But you can always be certain of one thing: in a close game, hustle beats raw talent every time. So go get 'em!

"Before you can score," goes the Greek proverb, "you must first have a goal." This is true in life, and it is doubly true in selling. Set proper goals for yourself and adhere to them, and your sights will be set. You will be on target. Lacking goals, the natural tendency is to flounder. If you need help setting goals, enlist a mentor or your supervisor to brainstorm. Be realistic about timing. Periodically review your goals and adjust them if necessary. Above all, never confuse setting goals with achieving them.

"I sometimes think that the saving grace of America lies in the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans are possessed of two great qualities -- a sense of humor and a sense of proportion. "

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants."

"The pro is the person who has all the hassles, obstacles, and disappointing frustrations that everyone else has. yet continues to persist, does the job, and makes it look easy."

So often when things change in our lives, we have such a resistance to
the change.

This is because when people see a big change appearing they are often fearful that it is something bad. But it is important to remember that when something big changes in our lives, it means something better is coming.

There cannot be a vacuum in the Universe, and so as something moves out, something must come in and replace it. When change comes, relax, have total faith, and know that the change is ALL GOOD.

Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, "Life is routine, and routine is resistance to wonder." To change up your routine, you might consider sleeping on the other side of the bed, trying out meditation, starting a garden, switching coffee brands, picking up guitar playing or cooking, switching your radio station during the commute, or just choosing to smile more often. Life is a great experiment, so make the choice to go play, seek novelty, and allow your experience to guide you toward what matters. Such interactions create a wisdom from which we all benefit.

You must have a friendly attitude to succeed. What you give out will come back. If you try to sell something just because it's a good deal for you, you'll be in trouble. Think of it this way: Friends don't sell just anything to their friends, but they do help them get what they want, and only your friends will tell you what they really want.

"Opportunities are not offered. They must be wrested and worked for. And this calls for perseverance..and courage. "

When times are good, people will act out of convenience, but when times are tough, you find out who really cares. The value of relationships to success in sales will never diminish. In fact, some might argue that they're only becoming more valuable. Your job is to strengthen as many relationships as you possibly can. Be honest. Be a good listener. Be helpful. Be there. Go the extra mile and stay in touch with people who change companies. They may be able to open new doors for you.

In 1904, steel magnate Charles M. Schwab solicited advice from public-relations pioneer Ivy Ledbetter Lee about how managers could manage their time effectively. Lee sent Schwab the following four-point list and requested a check for whatever Schwab thought the advice was worth: 1. Make a list of the most important things you have to do tomorrow. 2. Arrange them in order of importance. 3. The next day, work on the most important task until it's completed. 4. Tackle the other tasks in priority order. How much did Schwab pay Lee? $25,000. Even today, these points are worth their weight in gold.

"Happiness is only a byproduct of successful living."

"If you're not having problems, you are missing an opportunity for growth."

"Education is of no value and talent is worthless - unless you have an unwavering aim. Never find yourself without a compass."

Are your sales less than they should be? Perhaps it is because, over time, you have succumbed to the dreaded "follower" virus. The follower virus festers within healthy, productive salespeople until finally they're reduced to mediocrity. Once infected, salespeople lose their edge, because their approach to selling dulls. Stop following others and reinvent yourself as a value-added salesperson who wants to help make others successful. Don't forget, however, that the follower virus can return without notice – especially wherever complacency runs rampant.

"Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile. "

Achieve your true potential. Take into account your best possibilities and opportunities and your ability to execute on them. You know your strengths and weaknesses. Build your potential plan by relying on your strengths. Where you sense weakness, plan ahead to minimize it. Be sure you understand your plan thoroughly. Get the technical training you need to respond to possible challenges quickly and effectively. Finally, rely on your support network for help whenever you need it. In these ways, you'll reach your true potential.

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

Negotiating is a two-way street. Before you start the process, determine what you expect in return from others if you give them what they want. Simply be so good at what you do and what you offer that there isn't any room for negotiation. The more credibility you have, the less you have to negotiate. If any one relationship takes an inordinate amount of your time, is hindering your effort on more promising opportunities, and is high on the "pain" meter, it might make sense to walk away.

Be prepared to be challenged in all areas of life. The more you anticipate a challenge, the more confidence and leverage you bring to the table when it's time to face it. And the more knowledge you have, the better able you are to think outside the box when creating solutions and dealing with the curve balls life will throw at you. Be proactive, anticipate challenge, and you'll put yourself in the best position to overcome a challenge when it rears its head.

"Life isn’t about finding yourself.
Life is about creating yourself."

"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heav'n of hell and a hell of a heav'n."

Changing your life for the better is a difficult journey. Truthfully evaluate yourself to find out why you're down and what you have to change in your life to get what you really want. Resolve to change. Remember that if you continue to do what you've always done, you'll continue to get what you've always gotten. Start fresh. Remember that, usually, the turning points in our lives occur in times of adversity.

"Don't be afraid to be unique or speak your mind, because that's what makes you different from everyone else."

Determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds doesn't come naturally. It is an acquired characteristic. Many people have exceptional talents, a stable background, an excellent education, and assets anyone could want, except the one characteristic that could make them winners: the ability to fight hard when hardest hit. Self-discipline requires that we push ourselves beyond what is comfortable. As we keep exercising self-discipline and stretching and strengthening our abilities, we develop the power to persist under the most difficult circumstances. By trying hard enough, we can become determined enough to win.

"If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want."

Do you drive yourself to success by some higher meaning, or are you always on the hunt for the next commission? If you dedicate your life to a cause higher than yourself, you will never want to stop contributing. Create enough meaning, and you will create enough energy to accomplish your goals. It's okay to be ambitious, and it's okay to use numbers to stay motivated and benchmark your personal progress. But if you limit the meaning of your work to money, you will soon run out of energy.

In both sales and life, guts come before glory. But sales professionals will not succeed solely by a willingness to take risks. First and foremost, honor and purpose must exist. Nothing good comes to those in sales who think only of themselves. Define for yourself the fundamentals of honor and good sense. Leave no room for failure to meet these expectations. You should never be caught with unclear convictions. Make sure your purpose is definite before committing to taking the necessary risks to succeed.

"The price of greatness is responsibility."

"I am willing to put myself through anything; temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level."

Have you helped someone overcome a problem or challenge in the last 24 hours? Have you made an unhappy person laugh? Have you smiled at someone you didn't know? Do you feel the urge to give out praise whenever you see good behavior? Have you helped someone in a negative mood see opportunity instead of obstacles? Would you say you've been surrounded by positive people today? Have you praised someone today?

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

"Help others get ahead. You will always stand taller with someone else on your shoulders. "

"My father taught me that reputation, not money, was the most important thing in the world."

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale used to compare negative thoughts to birds flying overhead. "We can't keep the birds from flying over our heads," he said. "But we can prevent them from building a nest in our hair." We all have the power to choose what kinds of thoughts take up space in our mind. The fact that you sometimes produce negative thoughts doesn't mean you have to accept them unconditionally.

"What are you grateful for right now?
Gratitude can shift your energy, raise your vibration,
and make all your next moments even better."

"Every great man of business has got somewhere a touch of the idealist in him."

Every day, or at the very least once or twice a week, take a few minutes and focus on seeing yourself in joy. Feel yourself in joy. Imagine only joy ahead in your life and see yourself basking in it. As you do this the Universe will move all people, circumstances, and events to bring you that joy. You can’t be in joy if you have money worries, or health worries, or relationship problems with friends or family. So deposit some joy in the bank of the Universe as often as you can. There isn’t an investment that is more worthwhile.

"Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you're ready or not, to put this plan into action."

"Once you surrender to your vision, success begins to chase you."

Dr. Wayne Dyer once said that in order to be good at selling, you have to first fall in love with what you do. "You don't sell your product, because every product in the world has some validity, and there is another product out there that will satisfy the customer's need just as well." What quality do successful salespeople have that others don't? According to Dyer, the answer is serenity. They work for the customer's quota, not the quota their companies set. They're always asking, "How can I serve you?" Whether making a presentation, following up with customers, prospecting, networking, or closing, the difference between your average performer and your top performer will always be enthusiasm. "When you are filled with enthusiasm for what you sell and can convey that, it doesn't matter what product you're offering, the people will want it."

"The key to abundance is meeting limited circumstances with unlimited thoughts."

Unfinished business is a mental burden. Learn how to close the loop on negative experiences so you can lighten your load. In his classic book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, Dr. David Burns suggests writing automatic thoughts after a negative experience on the left-hand side of a piece of paper and then objectively appraising each thought one by one with a rational response. This will help break negative thought patterns and keep them from distorting your outlook on life. 

"Courage is not limited to the battlefield. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like enduring pain when the room is empty or standing alone when you're misunderstood."

Why do so many sales professionals become stifled in their achievement levels or plateau before reaching success? Part of the problem is that people too frequently define success exclusively in financial terms while giving short shrift to the other critical dimensions that make up a successful life. Remember, we don't always control economic conditions, but we do have a choice about what we value most.

Imagine writing an email of what you want to the Universe. When you are happy that your email is very clear, you hit “Send” and you know your request has gone into the ethers. You also know that the Server of the Universe is an automatic system, and it doesn’t question email requests. Its job is simply to fulfil every request.

If you begin to worry and stress that you haven’t got what you wanted, then you have just sent another email to the Universe to stop your order. And then you wonder why you haven’t received what you asked for.

Once you Ask, know that the Server of the Universe is an automatic infallible system that never fails, and expect to receive your request!

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today."

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

"Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing."

Hope and opportunity go hand in hand for sales professionals. Hope can kick-start a great day, which can snowball into a great week, month, year, and beyond. With the power of hope, you create your own opportunities. Whenever you think you have nothing, stop and reconsider. Hope is something that can't be taken away from you. If you don't feel it, go and find it. Just around the corner from hope lies the opportunity you've been waiting for.

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."

How long is the list of people to whom you owe thanks? Gratitude is not just a once-a-year expression used during Thanksgiving, performance appraisals, or annual meetings. It's a daily necessity for sales professionals whose goal it is to provide value for as many people as possible. Start counting the number of people to whom you give a sincere and meaningful thanks each day. If it's fewer than five people, start making an effort to look for opportunities to thank more people every day. You might even be lifted up by getting thanks in return.

"Winning isn't everything - but wanting to win is."

According to Jacob Morgan, modern-day selling has a lot in common with the late Bruce Lee. That's right: Bruce Lee. How? One of Bruce Lee's approaches toward martial arts was the idea of fighting without fighting, which can be adapted to the selling world as "selling without selling." Pretend you had to sell to Bruce Lee, but if he felt like you were pitching or selling to him, he would get to kick you in the head. All of a sudden your approach toward selling would be different. Now, instead of trying to sell, you will try to connect and build a relationship. You will try to build trust.

What should a salesperson do when customers become disagreeable? This largely depends on the situation – who is this customer, how long have you had this relationship, and what's the nature of the disagreement or complaint? Very often, customers harbor complaints that can actually provide salespeople with valuable feedback about how they're communicating or what kind of products or services would be a better fit. Try looking past the tone or attitude and see if there's anything you can take away from the situation that would end up serving you well in the future. No matter what (even if you decide the customer is more trouble than he/she is worth), always maintain your professional attitude and demeanor when responding to a customer who's disgruntled. Keep a level head and do your best not to lose your cool.

In any contest, there are winners and losers – and salespeople hate to lose. But remember the old saying: it's how you play the game that counts. In any sales career, there will be highs and lows, peaks and valleys. Just because you're on top one day doesn't mean you'll always be there. If life is a contest, that means there will always be another way to push yourself forward. The outcome of a contest doesn't matter as much as feeling every day like you're a winner.

Whether you know it or not, today you are placing an order for your tomorrows from the catalogue of the Universe. Your predominant thoughts and feelings today are creating a frequency that is automatically determining your life tomorrow.

Feel good now and for the rest of the day, and make your tomorrows magnificent.

"If you don't fail now and again, it's a sign you're playing it safe."

"When you're riding, only the race in which you're riding is important."

WISHING YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

can't handle the rejection anymore and become agitated. Sometimes we just can't do our job because there is so much going on in our lives. If you ever hit a slump, then it's time to take out the trash. Do what works for you to get back on track. You might listen to your favorite song or to a motivational presentation. You might go to the movies. You might revisit your list of goals and recommit to working on the things you've said you want in life. Take out the trash, and you'll find yourself back at work and refocused before you know it.

"It does not matter how slowly you go up, so long as you don't stop."

Stop whatever you're doing and delight in being alive! Sense the physical processes inside you, the good in people around you, and the beauty of the world you live in. Keep everything in context; smile and laugh (especially at yourself). Accept and embrace change. No matter what you want, whatever happens is going to happen. Be fit for success. Exercise and take care of yourself. Speed up your body action by moving to music, stretching, or jogging. Movement helps eliminate pent-up stress by aiding the removal of stress-produced chemicals that make you feel bad.

"I will study and prepare, and someday my opportunity will come."

From cell phones to voicemail, there's a lot of information to keep up with. Technology helps salespeople make great strides, but it can also disrupt and distract. Gadgets fuel expectations of instantaneous response. They invade personal time. The marvels of technology should help sales professionals stay connected, serve customers better, and produce more. Give yourself a little room. We're in a period of information overload. You'll never know it all. So control what you can. Control your attitude.

"Miracles are always there,
look around and you will find them."

"To be successful, you have to be able to relate to people; they have to be satisfied with your personality to be able to do business with you and to build a relationship with mutual trust."

Trust is a critical ingredient in sales; people don't buy from a sales rep they don't trust. So how do you establish trust in a world of skeptics? Start by focusing on your credibility, and admit weakness. Prospects know your company and product are weak in some areas. You boost your credibility when you admit to those weaknesses rather than try to sweep them under the table. Even better: turn a perceived weakness into a desired benefit. For instance, if your software doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a competing product, point that out. Then point out how the simplicity of your product boosts usage and data-entry accuracy.

Use the power of the Universe by intending before every car trip that the traffic will flow effortlessly, that you will be relaxed and happy, and that you will arrive in perfect time.

Happy driving.

"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get"

"Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due."

"Skill and confidence are an unconquered army."

Self-knowledge is a key to power. Personal awareness is just as important for professional success as technical competence. Self-knowledge gives you the ability to match your working style with those of the people you work with day in and day out, not to mention the styles of the people with whom you're trying to establish relationships. This lets you take responsibility for the effect you have on other people and learn how to change it if the effect is not what you desire.

"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan."

"Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else."

"Miracles don't happen. You make them happen. They're not wishes or dreams or candles on a cake. They're not impossible. Reality is real. It's totally and completely under my control."

Purposeful storytelling is the ultimate tool for closing the sale. Stories are game changers, because they engage a listener's emotions. Typically, emotion, not logic, causes people to act. Stories resonate within us, which is precisely why people are far more likely to remember information embedded within a story than information that was presented to them in facts or figures. If you tell a story with authentic emotion, people will respond.

The conditions necessary to foster personal accountability in the workplace are similar to those needed in a family or classroom: Develop a climate of trust, openness, good humor, and respect; then, with honesty and respect, inspect what you expect. Make sure that subordinates know you hold yourself to the same standards of ethics and diligence that you expect from them. It may be easier said than done. Openness and clarity of mind will be required. This stresses both you and the system, but courageous individuals manage to tread these waters every day.

In times of great financial success, people confuse capital gains with brains. In times of economic slowdown, people deceive others because they are unable to admit that managers – even those at the top – are vulnerable. They rigidly cling to the illusion that they can singlehandedly change the world. A boom makes average performers look brilliant; a recession can make people who took credit for easy pickings look like fools. No matter what state the economy is in, the secret to success is to appraise reality objectively.

" If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner."

Today is a day to celebrate all the amazing fathers of the world. The men who sacrificed time out of their lives day in and day out to raise us and create the men and women we all are today.
The man who worked 9 hour days to come home and throw the ball out back with us. Or the man who spent weekends playing with us in the backyard or taking us out for ice cream. Whatever fond memories you have of your father or father figure in your life, today is a day to let them know you appreciate everything they did for you.
And whether it’s your father, or simply a male role model you had in your life growing up, today is the day to reach out to them and say thank you. Thank you for the long days and late nights. Thank you for working as hard as you did to put food on the table, and thank you for being the man and friend that you were.
I hope everyone has a GREAT day today, and I hope it’s spent with the people you love :)

"An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life."

"Keep your sense of humor. There's enough stress in the rest of your life to let bad shots ruin a game you're supposed to enjoy."

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds. It is something one creates."

"Gauge your success by what you gave up to achieve it."

Common worries about selling can become distractions that stand in your way. Salespeople who want to take steps to improve the way they relate to customers must remove these mental obstacles. Start by focusing on what you want to get out of each individual interaction with a client or prospective buyer, instead of focusing on what might go wrong. Such thoughts as, "If I don't get this sale, then I'll miss my quota," will only get in the way of your ability to relate to customers and assess their needs.

"Ambition beats genius 99% of the time."

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."

"It is impossible to win the great prizes in life without running risks."

Persistence and determination together are omnipotent. You never fail unless you quit. Successful individuals have clearly defined game plans, which they review constantly. They know where they are going every day, every month, and every year. Things don't just happen in their lives; they make them happen. Don't let anything stand in your way. Your level of persistence in the face of adversity and disappointment will be a measure of belief in yourself. Associate with people who share your goals and work habits. You must follow the leaders who are the best at what they do.

Here are some strategic self-evaluation questions to which successful people always know the answers: 1) What is life's purpose for you? 2) What do you want out of life? 3) What makes you happy? 4) Can you overcome the competition? 5) How can you prepare yourself so that your goals prevail? If you answer these questions, pretty soon a clear picture of what you really want and are good at will begin to emerge. Then you'll be able to choose where you will go with your life and how you will get there.

"If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it's the best possible substitute for it."

"Man was created as a being who should constantly keep improving, a being who on reaching one goal sets a higher one."

"See yourself living in abundance and you will attract it. It always works, it works every time with every person."

It might sound odd, but money is not the root of great motivation. We all share a desire to get better and better at something that matters. Whether you're a great artist, athlete, software developer, or sales professional, you need room to grow. The best way to tap into intrinsic motivation, according to author Daniel Pink, is to take the issue of money off the table and put the focus on the work itself: "The more prominent salary, perks, and benefits are in someone's work life, the more they can inhibit creativity and unravel performance."

Sales can be a tough business. Potential customers can be impolite or even downright mean. We face it all the time, don’t we? The sad truth is that we often also need to learn how to handle negative coworkers. If you’re in outside sales, you might be able to simply limit the amount of time you’re around them. If you’re in inside sales and they’re in the cubicle next to you, that’s another story.

The important thing to realize is that you can’t control them. You can only control your response to them.
There were a few Negative Nellies in my real estate office. They’d always be sitting around chatting when I’d come into the office after prospecting or showing properties. Knowing that I’d be within range of their negativity, I would mentally visualize zipping myself into a positive shell before walking through the door. I’d smile and say hello, and something like “what a great day this is” but avoid responding to any of their negative chatter. I’d simply gather my messages and head straight to my desk. Picking up the phone was a great deterrent of these people. They were professional enough not to interrupt business calls with their negativity.
Unfortunately, there were times when they’d plop themselves down in my office and start venting about something or another. When this happened, the first thing I would do would be to look at my watch. I’d then tell them what I was working on, “Hi, Joe, I’m in the middle of putting together a comp that I promised to deliver at 2 today. I’d be happy to chat with you after 4:00.” And, guest what happened? Most times, Joe would not pop back at 4. He would have either vented on someone else, gone to a meeting of his own, or gotten over whatever was bothering him at the time. Try that strategy of scheduling your time with negative people if you can’t avoid them entirely … and limiting it to not more than 5 minutes. “Joe, I’d like to help you if I can. Give me a 5-minute overview of what’s bothering you. If I can help you, I will. But if I’m not in a position to help, then we haven’t wasted a bunch of time for either of us.”
If you’re in a situation, such as sharing a cubicle, where you feel you do need to speak with another about his or her attitude, realize that some people aren’t aware they’re being negative. Others know they’re speaking negatively but aren’t aware of the impact it has on others. When you point it out, kindly and gently, some will appreciate the head’s up and work on their attitudes on their own. They don’t want to be known as a Debbie Downer or a Complaining Carl. Others may think you’re wrong or being controlling and not want to hear it.
My point here is that you don’t have to accept negativity into your life. You can and must control you how respond to it. Don’t just react. In fact, I challenge you to invest 5 minutes right now thinking about how many ways you can protect your mental health the next time you encounter a negative co-worker. (Hint: Start with a smile because you know life is good and sales is a killer career!)

"Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat"

"It's not what you do once in a while; it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference."

Any words you speak have a frequency, and the moment you speak them they are released into the Universe. The law of attraction responds to all frequencies, and so it is also responding to the words that you speak. When you use very strong words, such as “terrible,” “shocking” and “horrible” to describe any situation in your life, you are sending out an equally strong frequency, and the law of attraction must respond by bringing that frequency back to you.

The law is impersonal, and simply matches your frequency. Do you see how important it is for you to speak strongly about what you want, and not to use strong words about what you don’t want?

"I never won anything without hard labor and the exercise of my best judgment."

Be true to yourself. Respect for yourself comes from standing on your own two feet and making your own decisions and mistakes. Instead of living or working for someone else's approval, do it for yourself and a sense of accomplishment. Practice honesty with yourself in all you do. Set high standards of performance and conduct for yourself, and live up to them. Even if your ethics and independence make your road to success a little rougher, you'll be stronger for having traveled it on your own.

"The most common cause of executive failure is inability or unwillingness to change with the demands of a new position. The executive who keeps on doing what he has done successfully before is almost bound to fail."

Start giving more. One of the best ways to build yourself up is to help others. Giving someone else a helping hand is a sure-fire way to feel needed. Every week or month, schedule some volunteer work at a hospital, nursing home, animal shelter, or anywhere else you might be needed. Spend some time helping a friend or neighbor who is ill or has other serious problems. Giving of yourself to others may help you view yourself in a more positive light and gives the people you're helping a chance to let you know just how valuable you are.

Make a list of your past successes. Your list doesn't have to consist of only monumental accomplishments. Include such "minor" victories as learning to skate, graduating from high school, or reaching a sales goal. If your list is long, good for you. If not, focus on how much you can improve. Review your list often, and as you do, close your eyes and remember the satisfaction and joy you felt with each accomplishment. Remember the special abilities, dedication, and effort required to achieve each success, and remind yourself that you earned and deserved each one.

"I love the man who can smile in trouble, gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection."

Stop putting yourself down. Every time the little voice inside you says something negative about your ability, your appearance, or any other aspect of your life, it reinforces feelings of low self-worth. Instead of dwelling on what you can't do or what you don't have, make the most of your assets. When you stop kicking yourself long enough to focus on the positive, you might find that you have a lot more going for you than you thought. Accept all compliments with "thank you." If you often respond to compliments with, "Oh, it was nothing," or "I just got lucky," you send yourself a message that says you aren't worthy of praise. Recognize that your effort and abilities play a part in the good things that happen to you, and tell yourself that you deserve your success.

The selling landscape can seem overwhelming, particularly these days. Buyers are more demanding than ever, customers are more likely to trust the opinions of their peers than those of sales professionals, and advances in technology happen faster than many sales teams can handle. Sales that used to be relatively easy are now more complicated. The upshot? This is a time when self-responsibility is the only path. The old ways – the tools that helped you to succeed so far – don't work anymore. To keep succeeding, you need new tools and new ways of thinking. To keep from becoming lost in a sea of change, manage your priorities and take one advancement at a time.

"Do a little more than you're paid to. Give a little more than you have to. Try a little harder than you want to. Aim a little higher than you think possible, and give a lot of thanks to God for health, family, and friends."

"Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions. "

"If Columbus had turned back, no one would have blamed him. No one would have remembered him, either."

The art of success lies in the power of resistance. It is this power that creates relationships where strangers once existed, as people are naturally resistant to both change and dealing with people they don't know well. Sales professionals must overcome this with resistance to the status quo. If you want the kind of job in which you merely obey the rules and follow the crowd, there's little opportunity for you in sales. A resister goes against the grain and asks, "What opportunities can I create for myself and other people today? Where can I take some positive action that provides value?"

"One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life."

"You can have, do or be anything you want."

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

Every interaction with someone is an opportunity. The thing is, you never know exactly who you're going to meet, and you never know exactly what that person will be interested in. That's why it's so important to keep up with what's happening in the world at large, in areas outside of sales and outside of the markets to which you sell. What great books have been published recently? What are the most popular articles online right now? What are the headlines for countries around the world today? Be on the lookout for ways to constantly draw new information into your daily routine. This constant stream of information will help keep you agile and prepared for interactions with anyone you might meet.

Many sales professionals are incredibly creative – they just don't realize it. Don't assume you can't do something before you even try. Children are too smart to make this mistake. They're creative because they follow their natural impulses. Adults just need a good atmosphere that promotes their creative power. Humor, books, and exposure to the arts are important aids in building up your creative self. A team that practices brainstorming in a relaxed atmosphere helps enhance creativity. The best salespeople have a great intuitive instinct; that is the same source of creative energy. Be sure to make the most of this creative power.

"He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce. "

"Ambition is the path to success.
Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in."

To achieve your goals, you need to stay focused, even if it means giving up things you'd rather do. When Ron Rice quit his teaching and lifeguarding jobs to found the suntan-lotion company Hawaiian Tropic, he left the beach behind and did everything himself. He mixed the lotion, bottled it, sold it, packed it into boxes, and delivered it to beaches and pool decks along the East Coast. He stayed focused on his goal of making Hawaiian Tropic a household name. Eventually, the other lifeguards who used to kid him about how hard he worked were left on the beach while he went on to great success.

"What will your children remember? Moments spent listening, talking, playing and sharing together may be the most important times of all."

Have you ever had one of those days when you get caught in the middle of conflicting emotions? On one hand, you want to take a certain action. On another hand, the opposite action seems like the ideal choice. If you find confusion to be the reigning principle of your work or personal life, you need to take steps to gain clarity. Seek the advice of your mentor, make a pros-and-cons list, or simply pick one action and follow it through to the end. Don't get caught up in a confused state for too long. Find ways to maintain a consistent flow to stay on the path to progress.

"Success in any endeavor does not happen by accident. Rather, it's the result of deliberate decisions, conscious effort, and immense persistence... all directed at specific goals."

We can never bring anything to us unless we are grateful for what we have. In fact, if somebody was completely and utterly grateful for everything, they would never have to ask for anything, because it would be given to them before they even asked.

That is the power of Gratitude.

"A vision is a clearly-articulated, results-oriented picture of a future you intend to create. It is a dream with direction."

Hope can be a tough concept to define. In terms of its definition, it can be either a noun or a verb and thus either passive or active. As a noun, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, hope means "a positive expectation and desire for something to happen." As a verb, its definition is "to intend, if possible, to do something." The keys for sales managers who want to create a hopeful sales environment are honesty and responsiveness. Make it easy for your team members to hope that something good will come of their hard work, today and every day.

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."

Don't allow setbacks to set the agenda for you. If you do, then you haven't yet learned to develop the resolve to stick to your plans for success. When you face an inevitable disappointment, learn from it. Find a way around it, over it, under it, or through it. Don't passively accept defeat. When you react with passivity or defeatism, you weaken your ability to do something positive instead. If you learn from your setbacks, however, you set yourself up to handle similar situations differently in the future. You'll grow and learn to face challenges with confidence and positivity.

"I don't think that once you get to one level, you can relax. You've got to keep pushing. "

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."

If you want to learn something, ask questions. That's the best and most straightforward way to get information and uncover opportunities that you didn't know existed. When salespeople don't ask enough questions, it means they're talking too much. You might think you have a lot of valuable information to impart, but know that the more you talk, the less room you have to discover new things. The next time you feel the urge to talk, ask a question instead, and see where it takes you.

In the doldrums of winter, our energy starts to flag. Cold and gray days can start to seem like an endless loop. Remember that winter always gives way to spring eventually. The same is true of our work life. Businesses also have seasons; some months are plentiful and full of new projects and activity. Other periods are lean and relatively inactive. No matter what the conditions are, stick to your goals and plan your time wisely. During down periods, you might be able to accomplish tasks and projects that would be impossible during busy seasons. Make sure you use your time to your advantage, no matter what the season.

"True grit is making a decision and standing by it, doing what must be done."

"It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it."

If you have trouble thinking of things to be grateful for, start keeping a list. It is a well-known principle of success that the act of writing something down can have a powerful effect on our unconscious mind. It's important in life to count your blessings and cultivate an awareness of what you're most grateful for. If the days slip by without any recognition of what's good in your life, take the step of recording them in written form each day. At the end of the month, you'll see tangible evidence of all the things you have to be grateful for.

"Successful people make money.
It's not that people who make money become
successful, but that successful people attract money.
They bring success to what they do."

"Goals are dreams with deadlines."

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."

"There is no such thing as natural touch. Touch is something you create by hitting millions of golf balls."

We all make assumptions, especially in our close relationships. We assume the people we value most will make good on their promises, be available in a crisis, and generally support us no matter what. The problem with assumptions is that things are left unsaid, and when important sentiments of appreciation, love, and respect are left unsaid, resentments or misunderstandings can start to build. The ability to make assumptions is the gift of a strong and healthy relationship, but don't overlook opportunities to communicate gratitude and appreciation. That is the way we take care of our relationships and keep them strong and healthy.

"Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude."

Big change is often accompanied by a sense of displacement. This can be disconcerting for sales professionals, especially if the change threatens to interrupt short-term gains. Maybe you're moving to a new job or territory, or a new style of management. Maybe the team has seen some new hires. Maybe corporate leadership has shifted. There is change you can control and change you can't control. If you feel yourself starting to become anxious or resistant, figure out which type of change you're dealing with. There is always something small but significant you can do to retain your sense of purpose and focus.

"Determine never to be idle. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing."

Most people assume that the path to success starts at the bottom and moves increasingly upward, but this is not the case. The path to success is never a straight ascension. Not only will there be setbacks, but there will be backtracks, digressions, and periods of aimless stagnation. The important thing is never to remain stuck in any of these states. That is why it is so important to examine your progress routinely in relation to your goals. Setbacks are easy to identify, but digressions and stagnation are more insidious obstacles. Never allow these circumstances to cause you to fall short of what you have set your mind to achieve.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our mind growled like our stomach does
when it is hungry?”

"Your power is in your thoughts, so stay awake.
In other words, remember to remember."

"High expectations are the key to everything."

Research suggests that our brains are wired in a way that makes us inherently social creatures. What are your social initiatives, either personally or in your corporate culture? Are you reaching out to prospects on social media and using social networks to listen and gain a greater understanding of what their needs and wants are? Sales teams have the most to gain from being socially connected to customers and prospects. Yet many sales leaders continue to think social media is just for fun or a waste of time for business; however, social business can and does create customers. Be open to social ways of selling. The benefits might surprise you.

"People spend their lives in the service of their passions instead of employing their passions in the service of their lives."

"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly - until you learn to do it well."

After years of executive and management experience in sales, many become proven and well-respected leaders; however, experience itself is not the mark of a successful leader. Many sales managers and leaders with extensive backgrounds are, in fact, not very effective at what they do. The path to success in a sales career is marked by dedication to constant improvement and growth. The sales profession changes very quickly. Just sticking around is not enough to live up to the constant challenges of leading a sales team.

"If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build, end up building us."

Ask, Believe, Receive – just three simple steps to create what you want. However, very often the second step, believe, can be the most difficult one. And yet it is the greatest step you will ever take. Believing contains no doubt. Believing does not waiver. Believing is absolute faith. Believing remains steadfast despite what is happening in the outside world.
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When you master believing, you have mastered your life.

"One of the virtues of being very young is that you don't let the facts get in the way of your imagination. "

It is important for every person to practice small indulgences every day. This is why we take vacations, watch funny movies, sing in the shower, and order dessert. What are some of the ways you relax, laugh, and enjoy life? How often do you indulge in these things? Without small and routine outlets for pleasure, stress and worry build up and leave us vulnerable to indulging in bloated and damaging excesses. A daily and healthy outlet helps everyone stay balanced and on course.

"Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish. "

"Money will always match your mindset."

“The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.”

"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim and have fixed their gaze on a goal that is high--one that sometimes seems impossible."

You don't have to be great to start - but you have to start to be great!

Every ending is the start of a new beginning. Think of the end of every year, month, week, day, and hour as an opportunity. To create the ideal version of yourself, bear in mind the principles of new beginnings. Keep an open mind and open heart. Refuse to listen to those who say you can't or shouldn't. Don't take disappointments personally (they happen to everyone). Make your decisions with the conviction that you have considered your options well and carefully. When something comes to an end, find the seed of the new thing that awaits.

"Only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find his right road."

There's nothing worse than making a problem worse with negative energy. When you face a tough situation, remind yourself that everything is fleeting. You've been scared, tired, angry, frustrated, and disappointed before, and guess what? You got over it. Don't make things more difficult on yourself by wallowing in negativity. The more time you spend in a negative state, the harder it is for positive energy to bloom and restore balance. There is nothing to gain by keeping negative feelings around. Find a way to resolve those feelings quickly, and your problems will soon be replaced by solutions and improvements.

How well do you communicate your value as a sales professional? Start by thinking in terms of other people, not yourself. What is important to the people with whom you're trying to establish relationships? What do their problems, hopes, and successes look like? You can't start a relationship without some give and take. Even if you believe you can solve a person's problems with your eyes closed, hold back. Resist the urge to let your enthusiasm run wild at the expense of opening up the conversation. If you listen closely, you're already providing value.

"Every time we've moved ahead in Business, it was because someone was willing to take a chance, put his head on the block and try something new."

Sales and marketing teams usually excel at the courtship stage of customer relationships. That's the time they get to trumpet new features, designs, and promotions. But flash won't help strengthen a relationship with a customer who experiences problems at other stages, such as signing, delivery, and implementation. As author Lior Arussy says, not every customer touch point needs dazzle: "Sometimes the customer says, 'Just make it work.'"

"How am I going to live today to create
the tomorrow I've committed to?"

"Never forget that it is the spirit with which you endow your work that makes it useful or futile."

"Character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self-respect springs."

"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere."

"The only limitation is
that which one sets up in one's own mind."

"Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more. "

As a sales professional, how are you using social media to enhance your core selling activities? In a social-media world, sales managers fear that their reps will end up wasting time chasing the wrong customers down rabbit holes. Your goal on social media should be, first and foremost, to listen, and listen carefully. What are your customers saying about you and your competition? What are their concerns and worries? Jump in with an answer only if you have relevant, useful, and targeted information to share. Nothing will increase your chances of being ignored faster than an obvious sales pitch. In order to make a successful connection on social media, you must first listen.

"Learn something new. Try something different.
Convince yourself that you have no limits."

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

If you want to improve your conversations with customers, lose the jargon. The next time someone asks you what you do (or what your company does), watch to see how many insider industry terms you drop. Corporate-speak is generally more confusing than helpful to someone who's asked you a straightforward question. Plus, jargon limits your reach to folks who already understand those phrases and terms. What about the people who could use your solution or service but don't know it yet?

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance."

Sometimes salespeople can get so caught up in the day-to-day grind that they forget to stop and look at the big picture. Today, check your long-term goals and plans (these should be written down somewhere). Are you on track to meeting these goals? Do you need to modify anything or change your daily behavior in order to attain what you most want in life? Which goals are no longer relevant or need to be updated? At the end of every week, month, and quarter, salespeople are hustling to make their numbers. In the never-ending race to the finish line, don't neglect to take the actions that will help you achieve the larger goals in work and life.

"One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves his work. But speaking for myself, I can honestly say this isn't so... I continue to find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success."

Do you ever dream of success? Pay attention to those dreams. They are talking to you and telling you exactly what you're on track to create for yourself. Think about the many people who push their dreams to the side. Their dreams of success never come to pass because they're not given the attention and nourishment they need to grow. Your dreams are as unique and special as you are. If you don't pay attention to your dreams of success, who will?

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

"The worst thing you can say is ‘I want $X for this job,’ leaving no opening for negotiation by the other side. Better language is ‘I hope to earn between $X and $X.’ That gives the other party more flexibility."

"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity."

"Only through curiosity can we discover opportunities, and only through gambling can we take advantage of them."

To create your tomorrow, go over your day when you are in bed tonight just before you fall asleep, and feel gratitude for the good moments. If there was something you wanted to happen differently, replay it in your mind the way you wanted it to go. As you fall asleep, say, “I will sleep deeply and wake up full of energy. Tomorrow is going to be the most beautiful day of my life.”

Good night!

"Any person who selects a goal in life which can be fully achieved, has already defined his own limitations."

To ensure happiness in the workplace, empower your salespeople. Those who feel trusted and enjoy autonomy feel more motivated and confident. This increases well-being and productivity. If you've trained, coached, and managed your salespeople properly, you can afford to let them find their way on their own until they ask for help. If they do well, reward them with incentives and praise. Make sure they share in the profitability of your company. The happier and more empowered your employees feel, the more successful your business will be.

Newer sales professionals will always have something to learn from sales veterans. But given the rapid changes in technologies that help grow revenue, no one can truly claim to have an advantage based on the number of years he or she has been in the business. A sales veteran is someone who knows how difficult it is to carry the bag and who has hopefully learned more than a few ways to lighten that load. It's important to pass that knowledge on to newer members of the sales team. It's equally important, however, that experienced sales professionals work to stay sharp. In today's world, you're either linked in or left out.

"Flexibility in a time of great change is a vital quality of leadership."

Too often, salespeople are too quick to talk up the wonders of their terrific solutions. Before you start trumpeting the virtues of your product, service, or company, do your homework and diligently assess your prospect's unique circumstances. Great salespeople approach a customer or prospect's problem with the mind-set of a physician, methodically probing and analyzing symptoms before arriving at a diagnosis. Be curious, and be real. Let go of preconceived ideas and open yourself up by paying close attention to the needs of other people.

"An effective leader develops the ability to correctly identify the pertinent detail or details - incidentals in a market, industry or sport that might create an incremental advantage."

"The quality of our expectations determines the quality of our actions."

When you wake up in the morning, what are your first thoughts? Are they positive thoughts, or do you start the day consumed by dread, fear, stress, or worry? Even if you're not a morning person and have trouble formulating distinct thoughts before a shower and coffee, you're already tapping into the feelings and emotions that can shape the rest of the day. Pay attention to what you're thinking right at the very start of each morning, and take steps to make sure those thoughts are positive and free from negative influences.

Imagine that you have no limitations and then decide what's right before you decide what's possible."

"Develop your imagination - you can use it to create in your mind what you hope to create in your life."

"Your needs will be met once you can find a way of projecting energy and fulfilling someone else's need."

"Of course you want to be rich and famous. It's natural. Wealth and fame are what every man desires. The question is: What are you willing to trade for it?"

"Miracles sometimes occur, but one has to work terribly hard for them"

Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the refrigerator that keeps your food cold, the car that you drive, your job, your friends. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities, services, and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for the magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people half way."

In sales, attitude is king. Do you have a winning attitude? If you don't truly believe that there are sales out there waiting to be made, then making 100 phone calls, having the perfect script, and doing loads of research won't help. You may, for example, find yourself prefacing your conversations with self-defeating statements. But don't dwell on what won't work or what's not going right. Be confident that you can find the win-win in any situation, and you'll learn what a positive impact attitude can have.

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes."

This will give you a sense of tremendous accomplishment and provide momentum for finishing your tasks: 1) Make your final hours at work enjoyable by saving for last the tasks you find pleasant. 2) Remember to go task by task. If you finish one task at a time, you will avoid feeling fragmented and overburdened. It is also easier to see where you're going with a job when you give it your full concentration. 3) Leave some time between activities to minimize overlapping.

There is a difference between feeling gratitude and appreciation for something, and feeling attachment to something. Appreciation and gratitude are states of pure love, while attachment contains fear – fear of losing or not having what you are attached to. When it comes to something you want in your life, appreciation and gratitude attracts, and attachment pushes away. If you are feeling afraid that you will not get what you want, or losing what you have, then you have attachment.

To remove the attachment, keep shifting yourself into a state of appreciation and gratitude, until you can feel that the fear has gone.

Do you take time to enjoy the little things? Stress, disappointment, and anxiety are inescapable parts of modern life. But you can change the way you react to them. Laughter is one of best tension releases. Find things to laugh about and people to laugh with. Laughter is a great antidote for taking life too seriously. Learning to interrupt a stress-producing activity will help give you the break that you need from tension. You'll return to your activity refreshed and ready to be more productive. Finally, make happy plans. Anticipation is a good feeling that can help boost enjoyment of life experiences.

"Dreams never hurt anybody if he keeps working right behind the dream to make as much of it become real as he can."

"In each of us are places where we have never gone. Only by pressing the limits do you ever find them."

"I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy."

Let's face it: almost anything can cause stress. Stressors are different for each person, and they can be positive or negative. There's no doubt about it – selling can be a very stressful profession. There is pressure to prospect, sell, service, deliver, and make your numbers – and still try to balance your personal life and sales career. How can you cope? Plan your work and work your plan. Set achievable, not impossible, goals. If you can, delegate tasks to other people and concentrate on what you do best – selling. Remember that if there's a problem with a customer, it's not personal; it's just business.

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young."

"Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind."

Salespeople need to address emotions. It doesn't help to obsess about rejection and disappointment. It's easy to fall into the poor-me syndrome or fall prey to negative emotions, such as hurt, anger, or fear. But the most successful salespeople find ways to get over it, stay focused, and continue on. When you're feeling down in the dumps, rethink the way you evaluate sales performance. Instead of evaluating yourself on the number of closed sales, look at the progress you're making in each component of the overall sales process. It's very possible that you're accomplishing positive things, such as securing more appointments, making more presentations, and meeting more decision makers.

"An amazing thing, the human brain. Capable of understanding incredibly complex and intricate concepts. Yet at times unable to recognize the obvious and simple."

Ask 10 people to define success, and you'll probably get 10 different answers. Over the years, executive coach Tony Jeary says success is defined as "achieving objectives we have established in advance. Anything else is by chance or serendipity," he writes in his book Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life. "The most successful people live their lives on purpose. They don't sit around waiting to see what might happen next."

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

"Everyone starts from scratch, but not everyone keeps on scratching!"

"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."

There is a difference between feeling gratitude and appreciation for something, and feeling attachment to something. Appreciation and gratitude are states of pure love, while attachment contains fear – fear of losing or not having what you are attached to. When it comes to something you want in your life, appreciation and gratitude attracts, and attachment pushes away. If you are feeling afraid that you will not get what you want, or losing what you have, then you have attachment.

To remove the attachment, keep shifting yourself into a state of appreciation and gratitude, until you can feel that the fear has gone.

"A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one."

Assumptions about other people and what they want or don't want can wreak havoc on your relationships. This is just as true in your professional life as in your personal life. Learn specific skills and strategies for making sure you are fully aware of other people's objectives. Try these actions: ask clarifying questions, probe for information, and objectively point out inconsistencies when tasks seem out of line with stated goals or agreed-upon strategies.

In sales, we hear a lot about winners and losers. But top achievers don't restrict their thinking or adhere to rigid characterizations. Instead, they accept people for who they are as individuals. They are flexible in their business dealings and favor compromise. They refuse to think that there is only one right answer to every question. They allow themselves to trust others, and they accept people as they are without judging them.

"If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough."

You can't improve a situation until you improve yourself. Since you have to start somewhere, don't shrug your shoulders. Plug away. Define the problem. Develop an awareness that change is necessary for solutions to evolve. Solutions come to those who take the personal responsibility of discovering them. Once your solution is discovered, act on your own desire to create a better you. We do a disservice to ourselves and those around us when we ignore problems and fail to stand up and help solve them.

"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you."

"The barriers are not erected that can say to aspiring talents and industry, "This far and no farther.""

You must be happy now to bring happiness into your life through the law of attraction. It's a simple formula. Happiness attracts happiness. Yet people use so many excuses as to why they can't be happy. They use excuses of debt, excuses of health, excuses of relationships, and excuses of all sorts of things as to why they can't use this simple formula. But the formula is the law.

No matter what the excuse, unless you begin to feel happy despite it, you cannot attract happiness. The law of attraction is saying to you, "Be happy now, and as long as you keep doing that, I will give you unlimited happiness."

"The greatest force in the human body is
the natural drive of the body to heal itself - but that force is not independent of the belief system.
Everything begins with belief.
What we believe is the most powerful option of all."

It isn't just your attitude, behavior, and personality that dictate how well you're prepared to succeed. The technology and tools you use also say a lot about your capacity to deliver great results. Has it been too long since you upgraded your mobile devices? Do you make regular use of online solutions that can help you sell better and faster? Make sure you're using the tools that positively influence how customers see you and your professionalism.

"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."