Minimalism - the Enemy of Excellence in Sales

I believe that minimalism is an infectious disease today.  It is descripted as a mentality of “what’s the least I can do and still get by.” It is a mentality of “have to” verses “get to”; it is a disease of the mind, the spirit, the will to excel.  It is the reason depression is on the rise and suicide is so prominent, it is the end result from practicing procrastination.   But I want to talk to the people that might be on the verge of it, those that are working, distracted by life’s “to do’s”, but not maxing out at their potential.  It is the person that has the potential but their resources hold them back from stepping into their true power — and being resourceful.

Emotional fitness is when you decide what you want, and then your feelings follow.  Emotional suicide is letting your emotions dictate your choices.  There is the spirit and there is the flesh.  Your spirit tells you to hold out and delay your fleshly desires, your flesh demands immediate gratification.  How do we live in the spirit vs. the flesh?  The answer is not stating an affirmation over a negative thought.  If you put clean water into a bowl of mud, you get muddy water.  But if you keep pouring in clean water (positive emotions, thoughts and feelings) eventually you will clean out all of the mud.  The question becomes:  ”Have you trained your brain to become the best version of yourself, or are old beliefs  (things people said or did that held you back in the past) still controlling the voice inside of your head today?

“A workers appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on.  A worthless man digs up evil.”  Proverbs 16:26-27. Can you dig up people from your past in your mind, people that  hurt you, and relive those experiences?  Do you replay old hurts over and over again?  Or worse do you continue to attract the same types of people into your life that don’t celebrate who you really are?  “Moving forward” is reminding yourself that every day is a new day, with new opportunities, new possibilities.  But if you don’t change your perspective on past events, if you don’t see a new hope for the future, you may repeat the same story over and over. Take notice if you repeat a negative experience or story over and over.  That story is usually what holds people back – is it time to write a new story?  Is it time to make new friends?  Are you surrounding yourself with people that challenge you or cheat you out of your destiny? What area of your life are you “just doing the bare minimum” — what are you skating through?  For a teenager it might be math, for a parent it might be quality time with their child, for a spouse it might be true intimate love and affection.   What can you pour a dose of love into?  What must you believe in order to fall in love with what you currently despise?  I used to despise prospecting.  Yes, I turned my misery into my mission to help others to see the light.  But I did it through changing my perspective and learning new ways to approach it, not from people that didn’t like it as well, but from people that were good at it and enjoyed it.  I modeled their mindset and changed my approach.

The best way to get motivated is to be around someone already motivated.  If you are spending 40 + hours a week prospecting and don’t like doing it or aren’t good at it, why waste another minute of your time?  Learn how to love and master your craft, or get another job.  Mediocrity breeds minimalism.  And minimalism over time will destroy your spirit and make you a victim of your circumstances.  Tap into your excellence; find a way to surpass ordinary standards and watch how your life starts to unfold in a fresh new way.

–By Tamara Bunte

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” -Calvin Coolidge