Wake-up Call!

I was reading an email from a friend of mine who is in direct sales.  She had a comment that I just loved!

"Having nothing on my books means I have no paydays scheduled . . . I'm not okay with that!" 

For our businesses, it is the same situation.  If you haven't tracked down leads or made appointments, you're essentially "out of business," at least for the moment.  That's kind of a scary thought when you think about it!

There are times when all of us can use this wakeup call that my friend shared.  I find I especially need it when business is booming.  I tend to let my guard down and relax a bit.  If you ever do find your schedule empty, it is way to easy to fall into the "pit of despair" (resounding loud radio voice is appropriate here!)  That's where the blame game begins - with you trashing yourself.  This place can also find you playing "poor me".  It's easy to offer condolences - the other agent wasn't ready, the buyer changed his mind, the market is lousy, etc.  The problem with this place is that it requires you to climb out of your emotional hole before you can deal with your business situation.

In fact, anytime you let your emotions take over in your business, you are apt to make mistakes.  Scientifically, your i side of the brain (the actual thinking, logical side) deals with most of your business sense.  When you allow yourself to get bogged down in your emotional side (depression, anger, frustration, etc.) you're actually "thinking" with the non-thinking, non-logical side of your brain.  It's like trying to get a type A personality to paint a picture. (Without the numbers!) 

When you do find yourself getting emotional, the answer is to stop the emotion.  (The Bible tells us to "take captive every thought!")  Exercise is one of the best ways to "chill out."  Go on a walk or run, play racquetball (very therapeutic!) even jumping-jacks will help.  Anything that gets your heart beating and your lungs pumping will release a natural chemical that will calm you down.  And it will help, while you're working out, to not allow your thoughts to dwell on the situation that frustrated you in the first place.  Put your mind elsewhere and start fresh on the problem when you're done.  Your thoughts will be clearer and you'll be more likely to make the best decisions!

:-)