One of my daughters called me a few weeks ago. She had applied for a new job and was in the midst of the interview process when it suddenly dawned on her, this was not a company she was particularly passionate about. She wanted to know if I thought she should stop the process before things got much further down the line. At the moment, she is out of work and the clock is ticking as her benefits will run out.
After she had set up the question, basically giving me the same information that I just gave you in the first paragraph, I thought to myself, “Stop. If this is not company or a job that you love and it’s not a matter of life and death that you get some income coming in, why would you work there? If you are dreading even the thought of accepting the position, why go any further?
The best advice I was ever given came from my older brother, Andy. When I was in high school and we were talking about possible career choices, he said to me, “Find a job that you love. It’s work that will take up most of your time and be the source of most of your happiness.”
I did.
Over the years, I’ll hear people complaining about their job and I want to say to them what I read once: “If you don’t like your job, quit. Otherwise, shut up.”
Okay, that last one was a little harsh and quite general, but you get the point.
Salespeople, it’s okay to love sales but not what you are selling. That’s exactly the lesson I learned in my first job during college. I had sales fever, but not selling for Northwestern Mutual.
The career path of sales may or may not be right for you. If it is, become a student of sales. Work to improve your skill set by reading books, joining LinkedIn groups, and attending training sessions. There is no finish line to that goal.
If sales is not for you and you have followed the fourth of the Four Agreements (Always do your best), go find your passion and catch the fever that field holds for you.
Otherwise…
