I just read about Bill Russell one the basketball greats in this country. He was well known for throwing up before each game. The pressure was intense and you knew Bill was into it when he lost his dinner. The pressure to perform came be intense in any environment. My challenge is to keep my success scorecard in front of me each day to pay the rent that is due. Nobody from the outside will fuel my drive it must come from within.

Human emotions are a funny thing. I have been learning all week about Quick to Listen and Slow to Speak and did not put it into practice when talking to my son the other day about soccer. I did not realize what I did until I hung up the phone and felt terrible. It seems my guard comes down a lot faster when I interact with family. The positive aspect is that I realize this is happening and with God’s help will keep improving each day.

The more I go through life the more I realize I must start living in the present. I need to stop thinking if I only had this or that. Life will always throw curve balls and how you deal with the good and bad will determine your happiness. Joy is the identity I find through Christ and should not be impacted by circumstances.  Starting each day with prayer and asking for the right attitude to live life to its fullest no matter the circumstances.

Reminded today that the biggest threat to success is complacency. Success Scorecard- Rent is due every day. In addition, life is not always fair. Need to continue working through the disappointments as well as the successes.

I was reminded today to Don’t Be Afraid to Ask. In my sales life, I do a lot of nurturing of prospects and there always comes a time when I need to ask them if they want to see a demo. Sometimes I don’t get the timing right, but at least I took the shot. If you ask, you know where you stand and can take appropriate actions to keep relationships moving forward.

I just returned from the MM&C Conference and we had a booth to attract prospects. Sarah did a great job creating a booth that was inviting and creative not to mention the outstanding cupcakes. People would never just walk by. They would smile, engage and many times ask what we do! Was it my charm and charisma? I doubt it. It was the creative concept that caught the attention of the crowd and the food helped them linger around and get to know us.

Everyday I need to protect my mind from the negative voices & forces that surround me. I do this by starting the day off giving gratitude to God for everything that I do have. This squashes the tendency to focus on what I don’t have. In addition, I focus on living each day in the present and not worrying about tomorrow. These are simple tools to manage life, but difficult to practice on a consistent basis.

I am picking up my some from college today. He has been away for nine months, so there will be adjustments on both ends. Life itself is a work in progress with adjustments made each and every day. I must say I do prefer my boy’s bedroom to be filled versus empty. We will see if this changes as the summer progresses.

It is event season and I will be attending a few conferences to promote a software solution. Need to keep in mind the following:

Show up with positive energy- Positive Energy Attracts!

Focus on the quality versus the quantity of leads. After the event, it is follow up, follow up and follow up. Stay in touch with relevant information.

Always be the giver not the taker.

It is a battle each day to remain consistent and focused. To combat laziness, I set up tasks and boundaries every day to help get things accomplished. Master the mundane, like following up with prospects who never seem to respond.