“A year from now we’ll see who was really working.”

I work in sales, and I can’t think of another profession where your day-to-day is filled with as many rejections. For those of you not in sales, imagine you are sitting on the ground and you go to stand up. As you are about halfway up, someone who is already standing pushes your shoulders back and you fall back on the ground. Now imagine doing this every day, for forty-one years. It is not a hard stretch of the imagination to see why this is one of the most emotionally draining professions. In order to succeed in sales, you have to wake up every morning, block the past rejections from your memory and start again fresh as if you’ve never been told “no” before.

Luckily, most salespeople are incredibly competitive and goal-oriented. There is a target to hit and there are other salespeople in the company trying to earn top marks, which fuels the salesperson. However, no matter how competitive you are and no matter how badly you want to reach your goal, Tuesdays in April exist. Let me explain what I mean by that.

Most companies have an annual sales meeting where they announce the winners for all of the sales awards for the previous year. This normally occurs in January after the year has ended and the final score has been tallied. Whether you are sitting in a conference room with four sales people or in a hotel conference room with 1,000 people, all sales people (the good ones at least), dream of being the one whose name is called and get to go up on stage in front of everyone and accept their award. All of those days of hard work, on sunny days when people are out golfing, on snowy days when people stay in, you were out there grinding to make the sale and finally, after all of that effort, comes the recognition.

Whether you’re standing on stage beaming or sitting in the audience sulking (I’ve been in both positions), you are filled with a certain feeling. The realization that this is something to work toward. After several beers with your colleagues, you leave the meeting back to your own territory and begin work in the new year.

Much like a diet or new years resolution, you come out of the gate hot. You’re making more cold calls than ever before, you’re reading books on negotiation and closing, you’re practicing your pitches and redoing your sales presentation. And then April hits. I’m from the Midwest so it’s when the weather doesn’t suck any more. It starts to warm up, people are outside, and you’ve had 3-4 months of solid rejections in this new year under your belt. One Tuesday morning your alarm goes off and you’ve discovered the bottom of your motivation barrel. You begin the negative self-talk, “what’s the point” and “why do I even care that much”. Normally this negative head trash can derail what would otherwise be a productive day but luckily for you, I have a trick.

Every motivational speaker pounds into you, ad nauseum, that you must identify your “why”. This is a pattern I have discerned from many years of listening to motivational speakers and whenever I identify a pattern, I take a keen interest in it. The reason it is so important to identify the “why” behind your actions is because if you are doing it for yourself, you will let yourself down.

This is why non-profits, charities and religions exist. People find purpose in something that is bigger than themselves.  If you have identified your “why”, then when motivation is weak, you can reflect on your “why” and draw the motivation you need to keep going. Remembering why you got started is a great way to help you continue.

The quote at the start of this post reflects that why. At that annual sales meeting when you are all fired up, remember the frustration that you felt watching your colleagues hoist the award. Remember the passion you had to be number one, to hear your name called, to stand among your peers at the top of your game. When it is Tuesday in April, and you don’t feel like making one more call, remember that moment, transport yourself there, and get after it.

This lesson transcends sales and can be applied to any part of your life, personal or professional. The quote that started this article points out a harsh truth that we rarely think about. The effort that we put in today, will reveal itself in time. One day you will arrive at your destination and you have to remember, that you made the appointment to be there. Whether you’re training for a 5k or marathon, losing weight for a special event, saving money for retirement, or just working at your job – at some point in time, all of that effort will be put on display and you will either rise to the occasion or be found wanting.

It is difficult for us to think long-term when instant gratification exists (that’s what procrastination is made of). We put off what we “should” do for what we want to do. In some cases, we are saved by the imminent deadline that forces action, but in our daily life, the only deadline is death and often times, by the time we realize it, it is too late.

Take action now in your life, remember your “why” and always remember that a year from now, we’ll see who was really working.

Always Think Never Settle