Get Healthy and Increase Sales.
I have recently found myself dealing with health issues. Suddenly, like a car that wasn’t maintained well, my “warning lamp” has started to glow and I’ve had to “pull over”. For some time now tenacity has been my instrument towards achieving personal and career goals regardless of aches and pains. It seems that’s simply not enough any longer. I need to increase sales and my health is definitely in the way now. How did I get to this point?
Over the years I have made multiple valiant attempts at changing my unhealthy life style. Health clubs, free weights, bicycling, super circuits, diets, and health programs for example. But there was always that next career move, quota goal focus, and work ethic expectation getting in the way. Working long hours and long weeks with eating out, minimum exercise, and little sleep, has kept me from any long term health direction and success. Ultimately I have paid the price.
“In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired. ”
Years ago I looked at a picture that my daughter had taken and I asked her who was the guy next to her. She said it was me. I had ballooned to over 300 pounds and didn’t even recognize my own picture! I am happy to say that I have lost 73 pounds since then but unfortunately I’m not out of the woods. I now find myself a type 2 diabetic. Of course I will tackle this new development and overcome… but it has definitely been a wake up call.
Three Health Suggestions to Increase Sales
Your health is crucial to ultimate sales performance. Burnouts and minor depression can become a thing of the past. You can set goals and really feel like you can blast past them! Your potential customers can feel your energy and excitement as well. All conducive to increased sales performance!
- Go to the Doc: As a kid I found myself in the doctors office and/or hospital 2-3 times weekly with dermatomyositis for years. Even today just the clinical smell of these venues turns my stomach. So for me to advise going to the doctor is stepping out there. Two things though… My issues with energy and fatigue, sales performance inhibitors, now have a chance to improve greatly with medical treatments for diabetes. Well worth the visit.
- Find Time to Relax: You need to find that illusive downtime. No goals, to do’s, motivation tapes, marathons, kids, etc.. Just plain, for you only, downtime. Can’t tell you how much this will help with not only physical but mental health and overall attitude.
- Change of Lifestyle: Listen… If your current lifestyle is not conducive to long term health… Change either your career path and/or lifestyle path. Do it now! Start a sensible diet and exercise program. Life is too short to do otherwise.
For some reason I needed to learn things the hard way. School of hard knocks, if you will. But I did and am continuing to learn. It also helps if you have a motivating tenacious spouse to urge you along. Take the journey with me and get on top of your health today! Let’s increase sales by experiencing the quality of life and renewed sales mojo desired.
Chris Lott
Chris has over 15 year’s Sales Management experience including Business Ownership, Product Management and Web Design/Marketing. He’s a national sales team strategist and trainer. Chris is the designer of the popular totallysales™ sales playbook with thousands of copies downloaded. He’s a nationally syndicated author with his articles on SalesBlog! rated as a “top must-read” on consultative selling.
Chris, this is a poignant article in today’s world. Long hours, high stress and not enough sleep are the main reasons that most people see their doctor. I was one myself for years. Two years ago I was introduced to an herbal that has changed my life. Now I am a skeptic’s skeptic when it comes to things like that and tried it only because the stress was literally killing me. Now I’m not going to give you some miracle story but it did make a significant difference. By lowering the stress hormone cortisal I was able to think more clearly and make some changes in my life that were long overdue. I made the choice to change careers, but only after finding a direction that better fit my life and career goals. Now I am a business owner and stress management consultant. Now my career is filled with more joy than stress. My goal focus is helping others find the balance that is essential to any successful career.
Chris,
Work/Life balance is critical to a healthy lifestyle and a topic of two of my upcoming radio shows, August 13th and 17th (had to do two shows on this topic). When dealing with my clients (small business owners) who have put in so many long hours and days that their productivity has waned to a mere fraction of what it should be, I have to remind them what they got into business for in the first place. I call this being “effectively estranged your family.” You know, the ones you’re doing it all for.
Breaking out of old habits are hard, though. Everyone knows that “no one else can do what you do, right?”
There’s two ways to change a person’s sense of self. Over time with postive affirmations (or negative ones if they allow it to happen) or in a split instance with a significant event. Ask yourself, “how did my life change when I first learned I was a father/mother?” How much of your sense of self changed in an instant? Just like your “sense of self” has now changed in an instant with the realization, you are no longer that indistructable tank you always knew you were.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks for sharing your column. I agree. Too often our head is down and we are busily working away in our coloring books and look up only to stare into to the head lights of an oncoming bus. You have to get out of your rut not only for your physical health but for a change of perspective which can also help with your mental health.