I probably get more questions about the plain desire to be happy than anything else. Most people are miserable, generally.
And yes, it’s horrible, but also avoidable.
I know… I was one of the biggest perpetrators of stinkin’ thinkin’ you’ve ever met. But that simple, yet profound, shift, when it comes over you – actually when you make it your objective to change it – just puts a different shading on how you see nearly every hour of your life…
Now, I’m NOT an advocate of ignoring huge challenges raining down on you like hail. Look ’em straight on, and be honest with yourself. Everything you experience has a value to you, whether you believe it or not.
Problems are always opportunities. They can make you stronger. But if you don’t train your brain to view them as opportunities, then they make you weaker. And if you don’t watch out, you can drop down to a level where everything makes you frightened and nervous.
Take heart. Your competitors/opponents rarely make it through all their own problems. So you are blessed every day with many chances to get further ahead. If you live in a setting where you don’t think you compete, you’re wrong…
You do compete… if not with someone else, then with yourself to keep your moods regulated so that you can perform and respond to situations properly. You have forces that are in your daily environment constantly working on ruining your moods and wrecking your performance and your motivation. The daily news, other people… if you’re an established debater, life’s a constant battle waiting to happen.
Your moods are primarily the result of what you focus on.
When I was in commissioned sales, in my car on the way to appointments I would chant out loud, “I now command my subconscious mind to give me the strength, the humor, the brevity, the love, the persuasiveness… whatever it takes to get (name) to like me and to see the value of my product and to buy it today!” I did this for up to 15 minutes straight… before every call… for years.
And I closed around 95% of my appointments. Ask any salesperson you know or meet if it’s possible to close 95% of their calls.
They’ll say it’s impossible.
In my industry, it was impossible too, but I did it.
Why?
Because when I walked in the door after chanting my mantra for 15 minutes, every fiber of my being was focused on helping this other person. No other thoughts entered my mind. I would not allow them to deter my focus. When you’re in front of someone who seems to be completely tuned into what you need and want, you almost instantly like him or her…
And we buy from and are persuaded easier by people we like.
That practice helped me become the top sales executive in the world in that industry.
Big lesson coming up…
Put that same kind of focus on looking for things to lighten your mental load, to make you smile, to help you appreciate the little things that other people do (not just for you). If you do, you’ll feel awesome. I promise. It’s impossible to fail at this.
-Mike Brescia
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Written by Mike Brescia.
-What are your thoughts on the advice you just read? Do you have some ways you would like to share about controlling your focus?
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