"Be A Quitter - And Win"
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BE A QUITTER - AND WIN In this article:
Winners Know When To Quit Huh, Oh! I think Joe has lost it. How can you be a quitter and win? Well, it depends on what you quit. If you can quit your bad habits and replace them with good habits, you will definitely be a winner. Learn From Terre Terre Bryant, my office manager, has been smoking for over 40 years, and she has tried many times to quit. All of her previous efforts led to failure. As of today, she has been smoke-free for over three months. What Made The Difference? With the help of a new pill on the market and self-discipline, she has been able to stick to her commitment. Is it the pill or is it self-discipline that is doing the job? If you were to ask me, I would say self-discipline is more important than any pill could ever be. Terre has self-discipline in other areas of her life, and now she is using it to spend a few more quality years with her family. Reach For The Stars When I exercise on the treadmill, I watch TV or listen to CD's, and I often discover life's metaphors in the messages that I see and hear. Recently, I listened to a CD by Jack Canfield, co-author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul." Canfield said that he asked one of his classes to stand up to reach toward the ceiling, and they complied. He asked them to reach a little higher, and they did. And so, we too have more left in us if we are willing to stretch. The great advertising legend Leo Burnett said, "Reach for the Stars, and at least you won't come up with a hand full of dirt."
The Treadmill Of Life I decided to use Canfield's challenge of reaching a little further. I usually walk the treadmill for exactly twenty-five minutes each morning, but I decided to add another minute to my routine. At the twenty-six-minute mark, I added another minute, and this continued until I reached thirty minutes. I added an extra five minutes by simply increasing one minute at a time. One More Call I then applied the same principle to making sales calls. I formed the habit of making ten dials every day, and when I reached the magic quota of ten for the day, I used the same principle that I had used on the treadmill: I made one more call, and then another, until I made five additional calls, a total of fifteen. When I repeated these numbers every day for five days, I made an additional twenty-five calls a week. That was the equivalent of working two-and-one-half more days. It takes discipline and commitment to achieve it, but the rewards are tremendous. The Last Five It always seems that the last five calls yield the best results. Radio announcer and motivational expert Earl Nightingale said that just like in running, if we keep pushing, and do not give in to the first urge to quit, we will get a second wind. That is so true! When I force myself to make the next call, and then the next call, I find myself going beyond the new target of fifteen. Take A Look And Add 10% Consider what you plan to do today. Simply add 10% more effort, and observe what happens. You will feel better about yourself at the end of the day, and your bottom line will put on a little weight (that's good!). Let Terre Know Let Terre know that her ban on smoking is the smart thing to do. You can write her at terre@bonura.com. Do the same for yourself. Let some friends or your employer know about your new commitment to increase your efforts, and ask them to support the new you. Keep them in the loop and advise them of your successes. Take the extra minute to change your life. © 2006-2008 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. |
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REPRINT info: Joe Bonura About Joe Bonura His background is unique. Joe owned and operated a highly successful advertising agency for 18 years. During that time, he found his advertising campaigns were more effective when he educated his clients in the areas of sales and service. He conducted training seminars for his clients as added value. Word spread that Joe was a quality speaker and more and more people asked him to speak. The demand became so high that he sold the agency to three of his associates to start his own speaking and consulting company, Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. Joe is past President of the Kentucky Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a prestigious designation earned by only 8% of the 3,600 member National Speakers Association. Joe presently serves on the board of directors of NSA. He is author of the audio learning systems "Three-Dimensional Selling®" and "Turning Customer Satisfaction Into Customer Excitement®." He is author of the book Throw the Rabbit—The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling. Click here TO ENGAGE JOE BONURA FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR AT YOUR COMPANY
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