We all know that how we feel affects how we perform and our performance in sales is much to do with what goes on in our heads. The Inner Game and negative thinking can affect our show.
Last month I was travelling to a sales training event in Wales that I was running with pretty good internal feelings and self talk. It was a beautiful summer’s morning crossing the Severn Bridge, I was on time, looking forward to the training, confident and enjoying the drive. Sun roof open, fresh air streaming through, I felt good…until the news came on the radio.
Legionnaires’ disease was the main topic on the news. The latest research revealed that the most dangerous place to catch Legionnaires’ disease wasn’t hospitals or infected sky scrapers…but the car. Apparently the disease lives very happily in the windscreen washer bottle, being warm, still and the perfect place for the culture to grow. So all car drivers watch out, you could be in for a shock.
So how did I feel being about 1 metre from my windscreen bottle and having just sprayed the washer to clear off bugs on the windscreen? And did I have the sun roof open to let in the water vapour? You bet I did.
You see how we feel is all to do with our self talk, and right then my self talk wasn’t worth printing and this made me feel low.
So how can we control this? It’s not easy, you have to be strict with yourself but the trick is to control what you dwell on. I’m not suggesting that you blot out all negative thought in your head that would be naïve and would probably put you in danger. No, you can control these by focussing just on the ones which you have control over and ditch the ones you can’t control or influence.
Worrying about Legionnaires’ disease didn’t do me any favours, I can’t stop it unless I wash the bottle in the engine every night with disinfectant and refill it every days and I’m going to do that, right?
No, forget about it, if you can’t control it and move on. Focus your attention on the now and positive thoughts that you’re planning for the future. Your goals, your objectives, your plans, and be wary of thinking about negative things that may never ever happen.
I guess it’s another reason I prefer to travel on the train. No chance of a water washer bottle and Legionnaires’ disease. But hold on, in my carriage there must be 70 people…coughing, sneezing, spluttering. “Oh no, I’m going to catch a cold, flu, something even worse. Help!”
