I was listening to my favorite mind candy podcast, Smartless. The guest was Hugh Grant, a very levelheaded and humble celebrity with some interesting (and funny) insights and observations.
The hosts—all actors themselves—often delve into the origins of their guest’s career. Was it a calling? A passion? A fluke? What was it that drove them to the stage or screen?
Grant was well into his movie experience when he had a revelation. A director told him he was simply regurgitating his lines. “You have to mean it,” he was told.
That changed everything for him.
From that moment forward, he had a deeper and more meaningful relationship with his characters and his craft. He didn’t just speak the words, he felt them (and if he didn’t, he would change them so that he did). The result was an elevation of his game.
In Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, he talks about authenticity. This was an important lesson for me when I was a young salesperson. I cannot remember his exact words, but he was very clear on the need to show a genuine interest in people in order to be successful in relationships.
You can do your job or you can own your job.
You can speak the words without meaning them.
Or you can take a genuine interest in people, selling with authenticity and integrity.
You can mean it.
Selling without these traits, you can still find success superficially. But to feel successful on a deeper level, you must sell on a deeper level.
You have to mean it.
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