Tough
Days
The
bigger picture
By
Jeffrey Hansler, CSP
I
love my work even though it’s not always easy.
Sometimes it's very frustrating, and I know that most people
have had similar feelings of frustration on those
"tough" days. In learning about selling and
communication, much time and effort is spent on small
details. The successes often come very slowly.
During the worst of times, it's important to step back and
take a broader look at life. One of the ways to do
this is pick up a book and read.
Sun
Tzu (400-320BC) wrote in The Art of War,"To win 100
victories in 100 battles is not the acme of skill. To
subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of
skill." On good days, when I am angry or hurt, I
hesitate reacting for a moment and put these words foremost
in my mind. Most of the time, I drop my desire to
attack and begin the process of finding a better method of
resolving a conflict or removing a threat. This is not
an altruistic decision. It is simply a matter of not
wasting my limited resources of time, money, and energy.
Friedrich
Nietzsche (1844-1900) wrote, "That which does not kill
you, makes you stronger." Harsh as it may seem,
the greatest successes result from overcoming failures and
hardships. The hope that I will learn from a difficult
experience has carried me through it with at least some
peace of mind. The more I see a simple truth in this
statement, the greater the challenges I can undertake.
There
were times in the past when I saw around me people, who's
lives seemed simpler, easier, and more secure and I wondered
if I had made the right choices. I think that these
thoughts may be experienced by any salesperson whose income
is dependent on sales, business owners whose income is
dependent on profits, and in the hard economic reality we've
seen recently, anyone involved with just about anything.
I hope the following statement by Abraham H. Maslow in The
Farther Reaches of Human Nature may have the same positive
impact on you that it has on me, "One
cannot choose wisely for a life unless he dares to listen to
himself, his own self, at each moment in life."
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Jeffrey
Hansler is a professional speaker, author, and consultant.
He is a frequent speaker at association events and is the
author of Sell Little Red Hen! Sell! He can be reached at jhansler@oxfordco.com.
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2004 Jeffrey Hansler All rights reserved |
