Things are never as bad as they seem. (Nor as perfect) One of the keys to success is progress not perfection.
Don’t spend so much time trying to be liked by everyone in your network. It is important to be liked, but it is as important to be respected by your contacts.
Liked and respected
Listen to people with the purpose of understanding rather than waiting to draft a response.
Write Thank you notes (pen and paper) – A minimum of one per day. With the lion share of communication these days being text and email, it will be a pleasant surprise for people in your network to actually receive a letter. Keep the notes in your bag, car, desk, etc…
Persistence pays the bills. Never give up on anyone or anything that will get you that much closer to your ultimate destination.
The two hardest things for a high achiever to say out loud; “I do not know and I made a mistake.” Say this out loud to yourself a few hundred times. Perfection is over rated and it does not wear well over time.
Make one more call each day whether it be in person, via the phone or an email before you shut it down. There are approximately 260 working days per year. Do the math. Success is an acquired taste.
Bring others with you. Zig Ziglar said it best, “You can have anything in the world you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want….”
Author:
Devin Hughes is a former college basketball player, sales and marketing aficionado, keynote speaker, part-time academic and frequent eclectic thinker. He draws on a variety of ideas, disciplines and trends to inspire “Big Thoughts” and facilitate conversations. He is an avid storyteller who has the unique ability to connect with audiences by inspiring them to be the change they wish to see in the world. A graduate of Colgate University, he lives Carlsbad, CA with his wife and four daughters. You may contact him via e-mail at devin@devinchughes.com. His website is: http://www.devinchughes.com/ He is also a featured blogger on http://www.upstartnation.biz.
