Have you tripped into a big pile of "give up"?

SOOO, I inadvertently taught myself how to “give up” … I actually can recall the moment. It all happened when I decided to brush off my solitaire skills. My husband insisted that play the “hard” version with the 3 card draw, hence the frustration began.

After the first 4 games – I realized I was getting dealt “bad decks”. All 3s, 6s, no ace’s, or kings.. – So, I hit “deal again” for a fresh deck. The “deal again” button became an easy almost habit-forming button to hit. The first 3 games, I challenged myself to overcome the not so awesome cards dealt, I went through the deck repeatedly, hoping I would find an overlooked card, recalculated my moves, even tried to “card count”, (and yes, I’ll admit it... I may have tugged on Pedro’s (husband's) arm for neighborly assistance)

However, once I discovered the “deal again” button – I gave in to the ease of “giving up” and the hopeful “freshness” of a new deck…. However, what happened was the following. 

• I went on autopilot – the concentration that I once had diminished exponentially
• I became bored and uninterested
• I felt organically defeated

I realized I was truly playing to the “luck of the draw” which subsequently made me feel ineffective and useless. (as if my skill had zero impact)

So – after getting frustrated (and slightly mocked by Pedro). I decided to stop for 15 minutes, take a breath, have a sip of tea, then try again. This time I committed to 2 games in a row without hitting the “deal again button”. So now my goal wasn’t just to “win” – It was to play the strategy and more importantly not give up.

What were my results? - I won 2 games and enjoyed playing. I felt more invigorated and in control of my outcome. 

I think we all can make the correlation between my solitaire experience and to how we may feel on the daily as I relates to our leads, potential sales, conversions, etc.

It’s not about the “luck of the draw” – but if you create the habit to “turn off” or enter autopilot, that will be the main operator of your results vs. your effort, talent, and overall skill in solving for our clients.

You probably have all started doing your “countdown” to EOM (end of month), Newsflash: you ALL have an opportunity to turn a “so-so” month into one for the record books - it all begins with flipping the switch from auto to manual. However, if you find yourself hitting the “deal again” button, the result is limited, and your overall attention will end up being misdirected towards luck vs. purpose. Such energy would be much better utilized towards action, activity and awareness. What does that look like?

1. That additional room visit
2. That additional conversation in the lobby
3. That additional email /SMS
4. That additional phone call
5. That additional door knock (or in this case - virtual door knock)

And if you’re thinking, “I’m too far behind, why try now?” – It only takes one great day to alter the course of a month! It only takes 3 solid RSVPs to define a successful event, 4-5 b-backs to completely revolutionize your month. The difference between it all is an attitude. Either you are committed to win or focused on the “potential loss”. I promise you this, the aftermath of the latter is “no Bueno"

Happy Selling - :-) Here's to making our destiny with the cards we are dealt!