In business I am extremely competitive. The same juices that would flow when I played college football trying to earn a starting position or knocking a defensive lineman’s head off is the same drive I have today when closing business or finding new leads. I enjoy the pressure to hit monthly quotas, not only because I enjoy the paychecks, but because it’s a measuring tool for me to assess what is working and what is not in my sales process.

There are times, however, that require me to make cold calls. The dreaded two words that most sales people break out in cold sweats over. It’s incredibly taxing on me to get the nerve up to call a stranger and pitch them on a brand that they don’t know about. And like all salesman hearing the words, “no thanks” or “maybe next week” is something that never feels good. You start to question your tactics and even ability. But even with the uncertainty that each call brings it makes me better each time I muster up the courage to make one.

Honing skills is the key to improvement. What you’re bad at today can be a strength with enough time under tension. The first time I did a power clean it looked like a monkey fucking a football. It may have taken years to perfect, but my power cleaning technique today is almost flawless. Did I beat up my joints and ego in the process? Absolutely I did, but when the light bulb finally clicked I never looked back. Even though I haven’t trained a power clean in many years I could hit the platform right now and it would be like riding a bike.

The take home message here is to take the road less traveled no matter how rough the terrain. Once you figure out how to navigate the foreign waters, then you’ll have the path to success permanently engrained in your DNA. I certainly don’t have it all figured out. I’d love to say I never cheated on my diet or had a bad workout or got anxiety over closing a big deal, but I have and still do. The goal for me is the attempt at perfection. To step out, put my beliefs on the line for a better tomorrow, because I trust the process. I’ve bought into the system I believe to be true.

Believe in yourself that what you’re doing is the right thing. You must take a chance, a risk, no matter how unsettling it might make you or murky your future might seem. If you truly believe what you’re doing is right, then blaze your own trail. Put positive energy into the world and your fears will become your successes.

Until next time everyone…