Sara Hand

Does discouragement ever keep you from doing the things you need to do to be more productive?

3 Things you can do to change that.

1. Stop and breathe…Some people just run faster and try harder. Others shut down altogether. Neither response will effectively produce results over the course of time.

Take 3 deep breathes and release slowly each time. Your nervous system will kick in and you will begin to relax. When you relax you can make better choices.

Exercise: It releases endorphins which will help you feel better. Ride a bike, walk, dance…do something you love.

(Alcohol and other substances to “feel good” don’t count.)

Hold hands with someone you love. Look them in the face and TELL them that. Build Joy…Yes, Joy is a real thing.

2. Set realistic goals. The world is tough enough. Stop trying to be Super person. Unrealistic expectations reaffirm an inability to succeed. Affirmations are great, if you really believe that in your heart…if you don’t, it is NO better that the unrealistic goal. Let yourself grow into big goals, one baby step at a time.

3. Set up accountability with someone who actually cares whether you succeed or not. Ask someone to give you honest caring feedback. I have a coach, a counselor, and an advisory board and a couple of incredible friends that I have empowered to let me have it…they help me stay on track through constructive criticism and act as cheerleaders when the going gets tough. They believe in me, even when I may begin to doubt myself.

**I believe**

You can’t imagine how many times I have heard that. And it saddens me to tell you this, but that just isn’t true. It doesn’t matter how great your product or service is, or how much it is needed. People don’t buy based on need. There is someone who needs it, that won’t use it, even if you gave it away.

However this is one of the most liberating and profitable epiphanies of the business world! Understanding this, I can make more money in less time. I can arrive home at the end of day facing clients and looking for prospects with my ego intact…no longer beaten and bruised.

WHY? Because I am no longer trying to sell everyone on the fact that what I bring to the table is wonderful. I no longer have to jump through hoops trying to convince someone who will never buy that they should. I have made make peace with the fact that I am not a fit for everyone, so like a miner sifting and searching for gold, I am sifting and searching through leads for prospects. Some people are not going to buy and it isn’t because I stink, it’s because they are not a fit for the value proposition I can present.

The secret to utilizing this understanding is…I must know what my prospects look like and I must know how to recognize them when they come across my path. I still have to be skilled at my craft. I still need to do and say and bring to the table my best, but my results are going to be significantly more profitable.

 Is this year all that you wanted it to be so far?

 What could have been better?

What are you planning to do about it?

If you haven’t been planning on changing…what makes you think that life will?

A new look means to look at the same stuff, but to look at it differently.

If I want better answers, I need to ask better questions…

If last years results aren’t the right answer then you need new answers…

Do you know what the answers are?

If so, what are your answers…and the lotto doesn’t count?

If not, where do you start?