Your expectations will impact tremendously your success
Words have power over us and can change our views. Words promote certain behavioral patterns in an imperceptible manner. If someone gives you health advice, but you never saw this person before, would you believe him? Probably not. On the other hand, if that person you never met had a Dr. before his name in his white coat, would it be different? Very likely yes. You may gladly accept and implement his advice. Are we reacting to the information given? Absolutely not. We are reacting to what the “Dr.” represents symbolically. We are reacting to our “expectation”. We expect Doctors to know about heath and usually we trust them.
Let us do a quick test. Write what comes to mind when you hear the word 'crisis'. Probably, it came to you ideas about a dramatic emotional upheaval or even some condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs. This is what we imagine when we hear the word crisis. Now, what if you ask the same question to someone from, say, Japan. They may have a different view altogether. Let me explain. The word crisis is composed of two kanjis (the Japanese writing characters), namely:
Abunai + Kikai
The first kanji “abunai” (危) means danger and kikai (機) means opportunity. In other words, in every crisis, there are threats, and opportunities. When look at things this way, there is a mind shift.
As a salesperson, it is essential to develop a positive expectation. To help you in the process you may want to consider ideas like:
What legacy would I like to leave behind? What qualities you would like to characterize you as a professional? What would you want to accomplish, not only in terms of possession, but also in terms freedom, peace of mind etc. To have a true positive outlook, consider not “only you”, but also other people. For instance, who do you think might be interesting to help? What kind of impact you would like to have on the lives of others? What values will you honor in reaching this vision?
Takeaway: If your future expectation is less than what you currently already have, you will fail. If set the same expectation as you have today, you turn out to be lackadaisical. Now, if your future expectation really excites you, you will abound with energy and motivation. The latter attitude is vital for anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur, an effective salesperson, a top notch executive.
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ROBERT SILVA, BS, MBA Master Trainer UN Entrepreneurship Training Program.