Articles

Any good sales leader will tell you there are good days and bad days. There are times when you’re in the groove, magnetizing incredible opportunities. And there are other times when you’re discouraged and exhausted, and all your efforts seem to be wasted.

We call the former state, flow. Being in flow is a wonderful thing. We love the feeling of achieving great things effortlessly and joyfully. We love the delightful little surprises, the unexpected opportunities.

On the other hand, we HATE being stuck. We despise the feeling of hopelessness and despair. We resent the times when our efforts aren’t rewarded. And we judge ourselves and our choices horribly at those times.

The real problem isn’t that we may not be in flow, but that we’re not aware when we’re not in flow. Sure, we are eventually, but usually our level of awareness is a few steps behind reality. What we need to do is become aware more quickly when we’re not in flow, and respond accordingly.  Here are some tips:

1. Take your mental and emotional temperature every morning. Are you happy and free or joyless and intense?
2. Acknowledge that if you’re in a negative mindset, you’re not going to be particularly effective.
3. Stop trying to overcome that mindset by working harder. It will only spin you deeper into frustration, despair and exhaustion.
4. Shift your goals away from your business objectives and towards your emotional ones.
5. Take actions that are specifically designed to elevate your mood, even if they have nothing to do with your sales objectives.
6. Always treat yourself with love and respect. Never beat yourself up for feeling low. It will only prolong the state.
7. Call a friend or colleague who can help you remember all the things that make you great.

By following this formula, you’ll find you can quickly return to a resourceful state where your efforts are once again bearing fruit, and where you’re having more fun! Enjoy the flow!