A good buddy of mine who knows my passion for sailing sent me this image and wise saying. It really does depict the wisdom that comes with experience for anyone who has spent time on the water at the mercy of the elements. It’s also a good metaphor for our lives and our careers.
The pessimist says the competition is too great. People aren’t buying because the economy is shaky. There aren’t enough leads or the leads aren’t that good. Interest rates are too high. I can’t find any quality salespeople. Why should I train them if I know they’re going to leave anyway?
The optimist says to themselves that it’s okay to leave early because tomorrow will be a better day. I’m going to spend time watching the training videos and reading the sales manual instead of calling on prospects today because it will make me better prepared for when I do go to work. We’ll have a better week next week; you can count on it. Just hang in there and things are sure to turn around sooner or later.
The realist takes action to correct what’s going on. The realist increases the number of sales calls they are making each day. The realist increases their recruiting activity and spends more time in the field training them. The realist works on perfecting their craft in response to an increase in competition.
Pessimism, optimism, and realism are the three options available to you when you encounter obstacles and challenges. Each will lead you to a different place.
Pessimism leads to the habit of avoiding personal responsibility. It will make you great at creating excuses. You will become a pro at explaining why you couldn’t attain success. The good news is, you will find many others who share the same outlook. Interestingly, they avoid each other because of their pessimistic outlook.
Optimism can feel noble but it eventually wears thin. The passage of time makes no one great. I once heard a seasoned veteran brag that they had 30 years of experience. Observing their results, perhaps they had one year’s experience 30 times. You can attend all the motivational meetings in the world, but if you don’t put the ideas into action, it bears no fruit.
Realism is hard. Realism also works. Realism sizes up the challenge, picks a strategy, takes action, and believes it will either work or you will learn from it, modify, and try again.
What kind of challenges are you facing today? Are you responding with pessimism, optimism, or realism?