Whether You Think You Can, or You Think You Can’t, You’re RIGHT!

Isn’t it funny how some people are their own worst enemy? I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and he was telling me about this person he had spoken to who was out of work and looking for a sales position. The man had a good number of years of sales experience but was fast approaching 70, and a lot of organizations just weren’t interested in him because of his age.  I know that isn’t politically correct, but it is a fact that we do live with.  Anyway, my friend has an innovative company and product and was talking to this man about a potential commission-only position.  Well, this man started in by telling him that in order to be successful selling this type of solution that my friend needed to attend and participate in some trade shows to get leads, because that’s how the companies that he sold software for did it in the past. He then attempted to tell my friend that his product couldn’t be sold in large organizations because those organizations probably already had a solution like that in place. As my friend continued to talk to this person, the guy seemed to convince himself and my friend of other things that he didn’t think would work.

As my friend recanted this conversation, it got me to thinking about something I learned a long time ago as a child playing sports. One of my coaches told us at practice that “Whether you think you can do something or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.”  The older I got the more meaning that statement has had on my life. So when I heard the conversation with my friend, it was clear that this man he was interviewing was trying hard to sell my friend and himself why he couldn’t be successful in that position. It was a clear case of looking at the opportunity as a glass half empty rather than being half full. So rather than asking the right questions as to how and why he could be a success, he focused on why he couldn’t. Needless to say, my friend didn’t offer him the job and even if he did, the guy would have probably turned it down.

Life is still about attitude and the way we look at things that determine whether we will be successful or not. It’s something that no matter which way we chose to go, we are in fact right.  I had one sales manager who used to call that “stinking thinking”! I know that many of you who are reading this right now have conjured up an image of someone you know that fits that profile to a “T”.

So, from time to time I like to give myself an attitude check to make sure that I continue to have a positive outlook on the future and opportunities before me. I don’t mean that I should accept everything at face value, but I think I am happier with myself and my life because of that position. I also think that I am able to persevere a lot longer than those people who think they can’t, and my outcomes are a lot more positive as well.

So, as you go about your next opportunity keep in mind that whether you think you can be successful with it or not, You Are Right! What say you?