Leisure Flow

My professional background is in marketing and business development – a slick name for sales.

Post college I began my corporate career in marketing then moved on to sales. Now I am in more of a hybrid role of marketing and sales.

Like with any profession marketing and sales has its challenges. One challenge, for me at least, is overcoming transparency (no such thing).

In sales (and now in marketing) you are judged by quality results. Having trouble meeting your quota? Better pack-up and seek a new gig.

The Highs and Lows

If you’re a roller coaster fan sales and marketing may be right up your alley.

Win a large account and you are on the high of highs. Lose a large account or struggle to meet quota and you are experiencing some of the lowest of lows.

While I continue to experience these thrills I do experience a lot less of the lows these days.

How?

It’s not because I’ve memorized my response to every rebuttal. Nor is it my ability to work smarter versus harder.

Instead I credit a somewhat unorthodox tactic I picked up from fictional characters Jack Reacher, Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe’s character as Gladiator), and many of Jason Statham’s badass film roles.

The Nothing to Lose Lifestyle

Prior to 2012 when I was low I was down. I’d beat myself up mentally on not being able to meet or exceed quotas.

It’s an awful feeling being at the bottom of the barrel in sales. Self-confidence and self-esteem can go south – quick.

If you are around high achievers who meet and exceed their quotas while you struggle with yours then chances are you will be in the mental dumps for a greater period of time.

Unless…

You do what I and others are have done to switch the mental picture around with a nothing to lose lifestyle formula.

Less Life Weight = Fewer Burdens to Carry = Nothing to Lose!

We live in a competitive society. What your co-worker achieves you want to accomplish. What your friend or neighbor has you want to have.

Win a big contract and congratulations for the next five minutes – 24 hours at the most (in many organizations). Within 24 hours your competition is creeping in to pull ahead – they want what you have.

We never settle. If we settle we rust. And if we rust we _____?

There is no end in sight, just keep moving forward. Faster and more efficient to produce better results.

This type of pressure can be a lot for a working professional. Factor in more life weight on our shoulders and the pressure is unbearable.

What do I mean by life weight?

Its simple math – life weight is measured by the amount of possessions you own and bills you have.

The more life weight you have the more burdens you are carrying.

The more burdens you are carrying the more you have to lose.

And the more you have to lose the more time you will spend in the mental dumps when work quotas aren’t being met.

How Less Life-Weight Leads to More Highs and Fewer Lows

What I’m sharing here may be out in left-field for many professionals. I get it as I once thought this way.

Many of us are brought up with the mindset that in order to become more we must attain more.

We work hard so we can buy more stuff. We work harder to want more.

When we work hard we become tired. And when we are tired we want to treat ourselves to buy more.

This process continues as we buy more to show off our possessions. We want others to have what we have on the outside despite the turmoil we experience on the inside.

In sales and marketing this is what we are paid to do – get people to buy more. Land a new contract? Perfect – lets now upsell them.

We even have to market and sell more just to attain our quotas that get bigger and bigger and never end.

Also, what we market and sell (more) is what we need to practice in our own lives. We can’t preach what we don’t practice, right?

On the contrary…

I began questioning this notion of more is better a few years back when I was in the mental dumps. I was struggling to meet my sales quotas and my life outside of work was out of whack.

To alleviate my woes I would turn toward external distractions each evening. Such distractions were lots and lots of television time, lots and lots of alcohol, and lots and lots of junk food.

Life was not bad between the hours of 9 pm and midnight. My mind was at ease to alleviate work struggles and the mounting expenses in my personal life.

I began the process of eliminating life-weight in mid-2011. My wife approached me with some radical ideas at the time in which I had trouble grasping.

From my perspective, however, I had no other alternative. I was mentally and physically trapped with excessive life-weight. Also, my physical weight and health had taken a toll.

The Less Life-Weight Process

It started with the cancelling of our cable television – home of many recorded shows and countless hours of watching a one-way communication medium.

Then came the removal of excess furniture and clutter in our home. This included the five televisions, deep freezer, unused gym equipment, clothes sitting in the back of the closet, countless kitchen gadgets, utensils, and more. Garbage out and no more garbage in.

Next I was working with my wife to cut down on the excessive bills and debt. $200 family Smart Phone bills per month became $10 a month prepaid plans. Credit cards were consolidated to lower interest rates and chipped away toward being paid off. Insurance premiums went down with new coverage’s.

Then came the big move from an expensive mortgage in the middle of nowhere to a lower rent apartment that was more accessible to civilization.

I went from having over $4,000 per month in bills (not counting food and gas) to just under $2,000 per month with food and gas. And we are a family of five – my wife and three boys!

What’s it Like To Wake Up and Live with Less

Words do no justice on explaining the freedom you have with less life-weight on your shoulders. For me having less life-weight led me to have more:

• Positive energy (drive and ambition)
• Clarity
• Focus
• Time for leisure
• Time spent “in the zone” working on my hobbies and passions
• Time to spend with family, friends and exercising
• Money to save and spend on memories (experiences) versus possessions

And the best part was that I was able to:

• Exercise more and become in the best physical shape that I’ve ever been
• Lose a ton of weight and keep it off
• Have a much cleaner diet
• Travel more – see new places
• Have less distress
• Skyrocket my confidence and self-esteem
• Meet and exceed work quotas on a consistent basis

In sales and marketing, just like with any profession, having less distress, greater confidence and self-esteem will produce better results. And this can be accomplished with a Nothing to Lose lifestyle with less life-weight.

The math is simple:

Less Clutter + Fewer Expenses = Less Weight on Our Shoulders

Less Weight on Our Shoulders = Less Distress, Anxiety, and Fear

Less Distress, Anxiety, and Fear = More Motivation to Take Risks, Take Charge, and Step into a Room like Russell Crowe from Gladiator (A boost to our confidence)!

“Beware of the man who has nothing to lose…for he has only to gain.” ~ Anonymous

Are you seeking to lower your distress and skyrocket your confidence and self-esteem? Are you wanting to produce better results that meet or exceed your quotas on a consistent basis?

Give the Nothing to Lose lifestyle a try. Your body and mind will thank you for this life-changing event.

Obtain your free two-page guide to activate the Nothing to Lose  process below:

Nothing to Lose Starter Guide