Do I Run Because I See the Bear… or Do I See the Bear Because I Run?
“Am I afraid because I see the bear…or do I see the bear because I am afraid?” Those were the first words I heard in my Intro to Psychology class in 1966, and somehow that question has stayed with me for decades.
Fast-forward many years, and the question shows up again, this time in sales:
Am I excited because I made the sale? Or did I make the sale because I was excited? Am I happy because I’m succeeding? Or am I succeeding because I’m happy?
We live in two worlds. There’s the outer world, what we see, what happens to us.
And there’s the inner world, our thoughts, emotions, and state of mind.
In truth: They are equal… but the inner world comes first.
You hear it today as: “We don’t attract what we want. We attract what we are.” In that sense, the answer to the bear question becomes clear: I see the bear because I am afraid.
This blog actually started because I walked through a room with the TV on.
Andy Griffith -Matlock- was on the screen, walking down courthouse steps with a big smile on his face. And I caught myself thinking: Is he smiling because he won the case? Or did he win the case because he smiles like that?
Take the TV away. Put this in real life. So here’s the sales tip and the challenge.
For February (and maybe beyond), I’m going to test this deliberately.
Maybe nobody will try it. Maybe one person will. I will. Act happy. Act enthusiastic.
Smile big. Not fake. Not manic. Just intentional. Apply it to sales or to any problem you’re facing.
Want to prove me wrong? There’s only one way. Do the experiment. Be aware.
Pick your own timeframe a day, a week, a month. If nothing changes, you’ve proven me wrong. But as we used to say where I was raised (and we never said pudding): The proof is always in the puddin’.
Smile big. Act enthusiastic. Act happy and successful. Then see what happens.
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