We all admire people who have what we would call a “can do” attitude. In working with sales people for many years, this is a personality trait that I find to be refreshingly common. Though it may not be common within the general population, I find most salespeople to be the most optimistic and committed in their work.
… And yet, they are never – never -without their own set of unique challenges.
They persevere anyways.
Are salespeople born that way, or do they become that way? Furthermore, what is it that drives that sort of resolution and commitment in an individual?
Well, consider this: What would you do if you were fired from a job?
Be honest: how would you react?
Now, understand that there are no right or wrong answers here. Being fired from a job can be a frustrating and devastating experience. However, it can also be a fabulous teaching experience….
…. Depending on how you CHOOSE to see it.
You see, a situation like getting fired from a job is an incredible opportunity! Do you think you would get depressed and resolve never to try again? Or would it cause you to pick yourself up and make something out of yourself?
Getting fired from his job was a turning point for my podcast guest, Mark LeBlanc. Hear this. He said to me “I was inspired by the words ‘you are fired.’”
Wow! Inspired. Not devastated. Not angry. He was inspired by being fired. And as a result, he moved forward in a very big way in his life following that incident.
Can you say that you would have responded the same way?
Now, if you responded with contempt when I asked earlier about how you would respond, that’s ok! Truthfully, most people would – and who can blame them? That’s a hard thing to experience!
But devastating challenges are also the things that require us to stand up on our own two feet and move ahead – reluctantly or otherwise. You see, setbacks and challenges should be a welcome part of the growth process – even when we don’t have much to show for it at the time.
We can choose to be devastated by them, or we can choose to be inspired by them.
What will you choose to do?
