Six steps to getting mentally prepared for the day, conditioning your attitude and creating your mood for the day
When it comes to sales it’s all about getting your mind right and setting the mood for the day. How do you psyche yourself up and condition your attitude for the day? In sales it is so important to be able to stay focused, motivated and on track. With all the distractions we experience on a day-to-day basis we really should have some kind of system or tool that will help us get through the distractions and stay on track. I’d like to share some creative thoughts on what we can do, what we must say to ourselves and how we should behave to insure the practice of successful behaviors.
First let me point out that is doesn’t matter what your personal philosophy or ideology may be about this topic. Whether you believe it’s karma, being in the moment, accessing the law of attraction or some good ole fashioned faith, you have to acknowledge that you are the master of yourself, your time and your attitude. And, the more I examine the different strategies that come from these different ideologies, the more I recognize that some things just don’t change – there is a great common denominator. In fact, the old adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same” has real merit when it comes to the discipline of psyching up and planning for success on a daily basis. Planning for success is as simple as just “proper planning or as I now say, “creating an environment or mood that is sustainable.”
Lets begin from a pragmatic standpoint. Here is what I have seen top producers do in order to plan their success. Over the years I have adopted the following steps. You start by creating a plan. Once created, you write that plan down. It is then wise to ponder it and reflect to see if you may have more to add or subtract from the plan. Then you should take some time off and then come back and revisit the plan later to see if you like what you’ve created. While revisiting the plan you will likely want to make some adjustments. Finally, you put these ideas into action and execute that plan. More simply put the key is to plan, write, ponder, revisit, adjust and execute. These are six very simple steps to set yourself up for a successful day. While executing this plan on a regular basis, creating a discipline to adhere to it developing the habit I discovered that it “conditioned my attitude. The procedure didn’t just psyche me up for the great day, it created a sustainable mood – mooderation.
When it comes to executing the plan there are numerous ways of going about it. My point is it really doesn’t matter whether it’s expedited with high tech or low tech devises. The vehicle you choose is of little consequence. Ironically, most salespeople now invest an enormous amount of time and energy figuring out which of the next high tech devices will do this for them. I suspect now will supplant the need to plan, write, ponder, revisit, adjust and execute. To do otherwise, in my opinion, is just another form of creative avoidance, a concept coined by my friend and colleague Rory Vaden. Simply put, it’s “getting ready to get ready.” This is a disease so many of us suffer from as a direct result of not taking the needed steps to create a healthy environment to work in – creating a mood – mooderation. What really matters is this. You need to be comfortable with your system, or the technology you use, stick with it as long as it helps you discipline your self and your behaviors and follow the six steps outlined herein.
So,what is mooderation. Well, if I were perfectly honest it’s sales according to Paul Schween i.e., bookaka , but good bookaka if you ask me. It is conditioning your attitude so you will actually do the six steps I’m suggesting! Mooderation is not motivation, nor is it mood enhancing drugs. Mooderation is motivation in moderation. It is giving yourself the needed boosts to propel you through the day without creating the highs and lows normally associated with high-powered motivational ra ra tactics. Conditioning your attitude with these six steps creates and environment you can operate under with confidence, it’s self-motivation.
Mooderation is really simple when you think about it. Unfortunately, it seems that today it’s all about packaging and the way you spin things that determines buy-in. We are also creatures of habit. We drift in and out of good and bad habits with ease. We’re always moving forward or away from these good habits and behaviors. Therefore, we need to be always selling, repackaging, spinning and cajoling to get the results we want from others and ourselves. For this reason I’ve labeled these six steps mooderation and believe you can successfully adopt the strategy once you see the power in its simplicity.
We live in challenging times. Simple is good. We are all distracted. Finding any means to stay focused would be of enormous help. Lets face it, times are so busy and fast paced most people cannot remain focused and on track. The distractions are so widespread, overbearing and intrusive that many have turned to some pretty interesting crutches to help them through the day. As I eluded to before, most use technology as a crutch, while other use even more “creative” strategies. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that half the country is on medications. The rest are addicted to caffeine – a non-classified drug only slightly less addicting than heroin and nicotine. There now seems to be a drug for everything. Behavioral drugs have become vogue. The crutches are many and all can be virtually eliminated with a six step process that can keep us on track.
I say just plan stop it! I mean it, just put away the vises and get with a simple program. If you suffer yourself the fool and are addicted to a vise I say again, just stop it - mooderation is for you. When is the last time you did a good old-fashioned gut check and settled yourself down for a moment and reflected on your situation? Try this tomorrow evening; sit down create a plan, write it down, ponder it, revisit it the next morning, make the needed adjustment and execute it with zeal. Yup, just put that in your pipe and smoke it for a day and I can assure you that you will thank me later. Leave your vises behind and step up to a healthy strategy that will work.
All you need to do to psyche yourself up, condition your attitude and create a health environment to work in is embrase these six steps. Think of how great moderators help facilitate things smoothly, think of how motivators have the ability to bring power and energy to the process and the mood they create. Well, its time for you to create your own motivation in moderation and consistently develop a mood that’s right for you– its time for your “mooderation” moment. Creating a mood that motivates and moderates is you key to a disciplined day. You know the six step and they are easy. So now all you have to do is sell yourself on the idea.
My last tip is how to execute this strategy. Start psyching yourself up with these steps but add a little humor. There is nothing healthier than laughter. I like to find ways to make myself laugh. I’ve learned if no one else will humor me, why not me? After all there is a nice payoff for this self-induced psyche and it’s called a good laugh! For me it is easy as looking in the mirror! I like to add some affirmations while I’m at it to get things started. I’m fond of telling myself, I am great, I am good, I will close, as I should. Pretty cheesy, but it has a nice rhyme to it, and I amuse myself with the way I say it. My wife and brother-in-law coined the phrase “possythinking”, and I love it! So lets see, a little “mooderation,” some “possythinking” and an affirmation to boot and off you go. Hey whatever it takes right?
Tonight, look into the mirror, find something to make you laugh, charge yourself up with an affirmation that you enjoy, and launch with these six steps; plan, write, ponder, revisit, adjust and execute. You can’t loose by trying it and I’ll bet you’ll enjoy the process. Look, your going to have to find a way to motivate yourself, because if you decide to wait for someone to come around and charge you up, you could end up waiting for the rest of your life! So, take head of what’s been shared here. Do what other top producers do, formulate your own rendition if you must, but stick with the principles they are sound. Take ownership of the technique, put it into action and make it work for you. I’ve done the best I can to lay some groundwork for you so get going. all Best to you and yours I wish you all the success.
This is Paul Schween signing over and out!
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