Outside Sales

Sales is a tough cookie to crumble. For a person who's never done outside sales before, there is a lot of information to remember and to disseminate. I'm quickly finding that confidence is one of the most valuable tools for a salesperson to possess. Which, I have to admit, I thought I had a lot of it, but the past couple of days the confidence that I do have has truly been shaken.
I'm working with someone who's truly a salesperson. And, an honest salesperson which I've also found from dealing with salespeople in the past is truly a commodity in short supply. He's a very knowledgeable person, lots of experience, not just sales experience, but true life experience. Which, I think is one of the most important things that we can bring to anything that we really do that we wish to do well.
I've not had a job before which has challenged me as much as outside sales has. But, it's exactly what I need to grow beyond this point where I'm at in my personal life. It is challenging yes, but it's not beyond what I can accomplish. Not at all.
It is the exact challenge which I need to rouse me up to be a better communicator. I've always felt that I was a very good at written communications, but verbally, I think that I've allowed some of my confidence level to intrude into my abilities there. I am enjoying this challenge, and I do feel that it's forcing me to grow beyond my bounds.
Today I've learned a few valuable lessons. One of them being that I'm not as direct or assertive as I should be. I had that pointed out to me, and it was a bit of a wake up call for me. It's funny that I know how to write in the active voice, but I'm passive in my speaking voice. So, this new immeditate challenge to me is to learn to speak in the same voice that I write with. I know how to write the active voice. I'm going to call you. I'm going to do this. I'm calling to confirm our appointment. But, in my speaking voice it's always been. Do you mind if I call you? Do you mind if I do this? I was wondering if you were still available for our appointment?

Yes, it's really time that I took charge of this thing.

Magic Carpets & Muddy Fields

Sometimes we find that the rug we walk upon becomes slippery, almost as if it is to fly. We coast upon the ground beneath our feet, lighter than air, greeting the difficulties in life in passing.
While other times, we are face down in a muck of despair, struggling to escape the turmoil that life has seen fit to hoist upon us. Yet, the duality of living is inescapable, find the middle ground to walk upon, It's certainty and solidity will keep you upon the path.

Don't stray too far into the air, or too deep into the muck.

Garden of Consciousness

There are visions I have of places from time to time. Natural places which for reasons unknown I've recorded in my mind. Just flashes which I visit in my mind sometimes. I'm not sure why they are there, or even if I've actually been to them, it may be a side road I've driven down or a trail I've hiked, a ditch I've seen as I've sped along the highway, or a hillside that my mind's eye has imprinted into memory. I find them calming, peaceful, and serene, though I when I have these moments of recall I also have an uncertainty about these places. Did I see them as a child? Or are they places that I've yet to see? Perhaps they are just memories of places which I've been. You see, I lost some of my memory from childhood as a result of choking. I went into a period of unconsciousness for about a week. I was on the precipice of needing to relearn the basic functioning such as walking and the alphabet, and much of what we take for granted as rudimentary existence. So, I'm left to wonder sometimes if these places which I recall are from childhood memories which are stored deep within my memories, locked in some box, which hold a key to some part of my soul.
I think that within each of us, we are all trying to solve a part of a puzzle. We are the parts of a cosmic equation which the Creator has placed a part of this puzzle within. Who knows...perhaps these moments of bliss which I visit in my memory are my own parts of the cosmic puzzle for which I'm working out the solutions. Perhaps they are past memory, or perhaps they are future memory. My own ephemera of the mental landscape, the flashes which I have which mean something to me for only a moment of passing, will....until the next time remain relagated to the depths of my consciousness.

Patience and Contemplation

Time is made from honey, slow and sweet. And, only the fools know what it means...

We're a very impatient lot, on the whole. The human animal, always rushing from point A to point B, never allowing a modicum of time for quiet contemplation. Well, most people at least. But, I've found that patience and contemplation, yield their own rewards.

Patience in friendships, leads to life long friends who you'll be able to depend upon.

Contemplation, gives you an inner strength to cope with all of the tribulation to which life subjects the spirt.

Now, both of these are intertwined. It takes a lot of patience to contemplate anything, most problems in living don't have simple clear cut answers at which we can arrive at simply by filling a box with a lead pencil. Much of the splendor of living is making the errors and learning from those errors, seeing where our failings were, growing, and moving along to the next crisis, similar to a constant state of rebirth.....

"each passing moment, is another opportunity to turn it all around."

With patience and contemplation, we can find our places in the world, reach our truest potentials, and evolve our selves beyond our immaturity of living to gain wisdoms for our future error.

We should have patience with ourselves, and even moreso with our fellows while on this Earth. I feel that if we seek patient contemplation of our own life, than we should more easily find it in others and for others.