By Dave Anderson

When the entire world is gathered around CNN watching events unfold, it's easy to assume the role of victim. So much seems out of your control that you can lose perspective and become overwhelmed. In this week's meeting, let's regroup and focus on what you can control:

1. You can control your attitude. Attitude is a choice. You can't choose what happens to you, but you can choose your response. It doesn't do you any good to know 30 closing techniques and volumes of product knowledge, if you're putting them to use with a lousy attitude. Winston Churchill remarked, "Success in life is measured by your ability to go from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
   
   
2. You can control your associations. You can choose to hang around with and listen to the winners, or the whiners; the group that elevates you, or those that devastate you. Choose your associations carefully because you tend to become like those you hang around. Jim Rohn says, "What do the people you associate with have you saying? have you thinking? have you doing? have you reading? and is that o.k.?" If not, understand there may be some people you have to give up, so you can go up.
   
   
3. You can control your disciplines. You can still plan your day, make follow-up calls, contact your customer base, meet outside prospects, role-play scripts and presentations. By focusing on these and similar disciplines you will continue to strengthen your sales success foundation. This foundation makes you less susceptible to ruts. Zig Ziglar said, "When you start doing the things you ought to do, when you ought to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do, when you want to do them."
   
   
4. You can choose to work on yourself. The harder you work on yourself, the easier it is to work at your job. Read the books or listen to the tapes and CD's that improve your attitude and upgrade your skills. Develop yourself in the down times and during your drive time to and from work. Jim Rohn observed, "The business gets better when you get better, and you get better when you work on yourself." He went on to say, "Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better!"

Failure is never an accident: you either set yourself up for it, or you don't. Thus when times are slow, you can plant seeds for your next harvest, or for your next rut. When you plant for your next harvest, you build a foundation for success that can go a long way to bulletproofing your career. You are not a victim. You can still choose your behaviors, and by doing so, you also choose the consequences-good or bad-that result from them.

Credit:
Dave Anderson, author of the upcoming book Up Your Business: How to Fix, Build or Stretch Your Organization (Wiley & Sons), is a speaker and trainer on management and leadership. He earned his business reputation by leading top national automotive dealerships to record breaking sales. For more information e-mail Dave@LearnToLead.com or go to: www.LearnToLead.com.

Related Information:

NBA Benefit Provider - Savings On Entertainment

NBA Resource Article - Seven Ways To Stay Up In Down Times

NBA Resource Article - Keep Yourself Focused for Longer