Lately I have received many questions about “how to change” or “why change”. And, I recently had a sales manager ask me what to do with a sales rep who “didn’t think they needed to change” – and “knew everything there was to know about sales” – rather than answering directly I thought the following advice from Judy Williamson, Director at Perdue University answered those concerns with the best message:
“Have you allowed yourself to become stagnant, old, and self-centered before your time? Have eccentricities and hardening of your attitudes prevented you from experiencing anything new? Do you find yourself saying “no” more than “yes”? Well, if these are your symptoms then your diagnosis is an early demise from a productive life! A person’s ability to change is tantamount to his or her ability to grow and expand in life’s overabundant awareness. Rigidity, or lack of the ability to change, is only a spiral downward to death and dying. Which end of the spiral do you prefer to be on? Yes, it is true. When you’re green you grow. When you’re ripe you rot. Not a very pleasant thought, is it?
Changing our habits of attitudes that have cemented themselves into the patterns of our life may require a jackhammer, but it is worth it. By telling yourself “no” to the mundane, ordinary, and commonplace, you alert your spirit to the changes you are about to embrace. Next time, when presented with an opportunity to move out of your comfort zone, accept it with glee instead of with a sigh. Be enthusiastic as a newborn is enthusiastic about exploring the world. Look with new eyes and be encouraged or “given a new heart” when it comes to trying new things.
Begin simply. If someone suggests a new restaurant for lunch, do not respond with “I don’t eat that type of food,” but say instead, “I will give it a try.” When shopping for clothes, don’t always visit the same store and department that you have purchased from for decades, but rather explore something that might make you feel youthful, more colorful, or even more alluring. If invited to visit a place such as a museum, art show, book store, carnival, opera, musical, or whatever that normally does not excite you, decide that it is the Universe sending you an opportunity to do something new.”
I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did.
A tip to get started getting out of your routine and into your “uncomfort zone” ask yourself: “When was the last time I did something for the first time?”
Dedicated to increasing your sales, Colleen