SAMBA Blog

Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Suck

I see this every single year, but this year more than ever: 

People everywhere bashing the concept of making new year's resolutions.   You might even go so far as to call it a movement.  A growing number of people vowing with disdain to never make another one again, and urging others to do the same.  "They're stupid.  They don't work!" they exclaim. 

NEWSFLASH:  Your new year's resolutions didn't fail…You failed.

The process of goal setting isn't broken.  And the idea of doing it in response to the changing of the year certainly isn't broken either. 

In fact, in a world where most people recognize the awesome power of goal setting and self evaluation but fail to actually do it throughout the year, what a blessing to have an annual event (one that so perfectly symbolizes new beginnings) that compels us to a do so at least once a year.

But believe me, I understand the scorn. I've felt the horrible disappointment of setting a goal and not achieving it (over and over again).   And we human beings hate to lose more than we love to dream.  And so we don't. 

But let's grow up here, shall we.  Life is about failure.  And life is also about learning why you failed, and trying again until you get it right.

This may sound downright silly but:  what if this year was different than all the others? 

Just because it hasn't worked out for you in the past, doesn't mean it won't right now.   And plus, life is so much better lived as a dreamer.

You can do this.  I know you can.

To the memories

Some memories are created by accident.

We spent this Christmas in a motel in Lawton, Oklahoma.  Not because that was the plan, but because an ice storm trapped us while we were out on a quick Christmas Eve trip.  No gifts, no stockings, not even a tooth brush.  Our kids will remember it forever because it was so different.

Memories can also be created by design. 

When they take your picture as you board the cruise ship they're telling you this will be an experience you'll want to remember for a lifetime.  And you do. 

During our six months with Seth he placed a giant Moleskine on the table by the door to his office.  Each day as we left we wrote something in it.  A quote, a funny story.  Our guests would add something and sign it as well. Will it be fun to read back through a decade from now?  You bet.  But it was more important in the moment.  By writing in the book every day, we were reminding ourselves we were having an experience worth remembering.  And it was.  Thanks Seth.

What are you doing to create memories?

Here's to a memory filled 2010.

Just one taste ...

Huh. Apparently I like beet, potato and raw onion salad. Who knew?

Because I hate beets. I hate raw onions. And the whole concoction just plain looked ... wrong. Food doesn't (or shouldn't) come in that shade of purple.

But anything new, I always require myself to try at least one bite. Because you never know.

As you're making plans and resolutions for the new year, there are likely radical ideas and huge changes and stretch goals you assume you won't like, won't work, won't fit.

Are you sure they won't?

How about giving it just one taste to see before dismissing something potentially amazing out of hand.

Leave room to be pleasantly surprised sometimes.

Would You Do It All Again?

Entrepreneurship looks easy, glamorous and fun from a distance. When you’re in the thick of it, risking your name and credit, things get a little less glossy. When you’re deep in The Dip, when everything seems to be going wrong, when the world doesn’t care, you start to think about quitting. After all, you left a comfortable job with great benefits. You get no vacation days now. Everything is shipping late and costs much more to make than you anticipated. Cash flow just isn’t materializing.  Quitting seems the reasonable thing to do.

Would you do it all again? I don’t mean doing everything the same way you did this time. You’ve learned some valuable lessons from your mistakes. I mean more deeply, does entrepreneurship still matter to you? When you have the next big idea, would you risk it all again?

If yes, you’ve given yourself permission to fail. There is great freedom in that. With whatever runway you have left or Plan B, you can behave with a touch of reckless abandon. You can go “balls to the wall.” You don’t need to be embarrassed by your crazy idea. Nothing can stop you now because, win or lose, you’d do this all over again. Funny thing, this posture increases your likelihood of winning.

"I Can Only Sell What I Like"

How many times have you heard this? How many times have you yourself said it? I too have been guilty of it.

The problem with being able to sell only what you like or "believe in" is that you never have to improve your sales skills. You get to brush aside every failure to sell something simply by saying, "I didn't really believe in that." Or you get to take a pass on a great sales opportunity that requires you to learn a new industry, sell to higher level executives, manage longer sales cycles, and close bigger deals. Simply by saying, "I don't believe in that product or service," you get to avoid all that intimidating professional and financial growth.

The real problem with this way of thinking is that it is solely focused on you. We know that the most successful companies and sales superstars have a customer-focused way of looking at the world. When deciding what to sell, wouldn't you rather figure out what others like and believe in?

Here are 3 factors to look for when choosing sales opportunities to help you avoid the easy out of not believing in something.

1. Is the product or service ethical? I'll leave you to decide what is ethical but if it doesn't conflict with your deepest held values, you can't write it off.

2. Will customers want the product or service? Will they find value in it? If yes, you can't write it off.

3. Is the market for this product or service growing? If yes, you can't write it off. This last point is all about finding the right platform for your sales career. Think of your sales career as a boat. You want to sail in a rising tide that lifts all boats. You wouldn't want to be sailing the newspaper print advertising waters right now.

Two out of these three factors have nothing to do with you. The best and most successful sales professionals are extremely good at optimizing points 2 and 3. That's because they're focused on others and not themselves.

Of course we do better when we do something we believe in. Just be sure you have faith in your ability to grow.