Both of my parents lived through the Great Depression. Dad was born in 1924 and mom in 1925. When we were kids, they would discuss the hardships they endured, things like empty shelves, one can of food for the entire family for the entire day, and a hint of general sadness in the air. We’d half-listen, as my brother pointed out recently, and I think he is being generous. To be honest, their stories were un-relatable to kids who never wanted for much.
Later in life, I would marvel at how my parents seemed to find joy in the simplest things: going to church, drinking a cold beer, enjoying a quiet game of cards, the bounty of Thanksgiving and the wonders of technology. They took nothing for granted. Clearly, their experience during the early 1930s taught them the value of everything as well as to appreciate even the smallest aspects of life. As a sales rep, can you relate? I sure hope so.
Visiting that nit-picky client whom you can never seem to please. Do you miss her?
Sitting with a coworker and hearing a story about his grandson’s latest achievement. Are you longing for that torture again?
And even—gulp—those boring sales meetings. Wouldn’t it be great to hear your boss rail on about the need for new business and better margins?
While we celebrate the touchdowns, it’s the blocking and tackling that set them up. Those boring tasks we procrastinated on were eliminated when the business world stopped spinning. Isn’t it ironic we now long for those mundane sales activities?
A coaching client asked me what would be different once the shutdown was over. I thought about the things in my own life that have been taken away due to the virus, things I never thought I would miss, from walking into a grocery store without having to wait in line to attending church on a Sunday morning. Whoever thought those things would be gone?
A haircut was once a chore. Now, we anticipate the inconvenience.
A two-hour wait for a walk-in appointment at the Apple Genius Bar? I’m in!
This shutdown has tested relationships, ended jobs, and changed our lives in every way. But I hope it puts your work life into perspective and you see things in a different light. The stress will return, but it will be handled with joy. Rejection will again be a constant companion, but it will now be laughed off and seen as a necessary part of the process.
The world is about to reopen. You can go back to your old ways with or without a different attitude. Add that to the list of sales-related things within your control; things that affect the outcome, subtly or overtly.
“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?”
Joni Mitchell
