Sharpen the Saw

I made a New Year's resolution to lose weight, not the first time I've done something like that, and probably not the last. As part of the master plan I decided to join a gym and start an exercise program. The unintended byproduct of my exercise program was that it helped me in sales.
Business to business sales has been pretty tough in the last year,the stress of always thinking about what you can do to make things happen gets tiring. Sitting home or going to the movies wasn't giving me much relief. You just have to find a way to disconnect and forget the problems, the chance to look at things from a new dirction is a huge help.
I started attending group exercise programs and I found that an hour sweating in the gym is a great relief and release. A program called Group Cynergy is a mix of pilates and yoga, and it's been a great release.I now attend execise class five nights a week, and it's great.
I think this is an important point for us to remember,when the going gets tough we always think we can worker harder, and plow through and make it better. A lot of times we need to remember that often it's better to work smarter than to work harder, and to be able to work smarter we have to step back and look at the big picture.
My first job was a salesman for an foodservice company, and I had a great sales manager who had over 30 years in the business.He was a real tough guy,one of the bosses who wants to know where you are and what you're doing all the time. He always set high standards and pushed you to meet them, you were always looking over your shoulder. One day I had one of those days that just beat you up, lost a big account, had an account go bankrupt, and couldn't scare up any new business. I called in to vent, he listened to me, and then he said something that I never thought I'd hear.He sent me to the movies,a double feature no less.The next morning I went in and he explained his ideas.He explained that stuff beyound my control had happened,but it had shook my confidence and I wasn't going to be able to portry myself and my company effectively. It was better to take me off the street and take my mind off the situation.It worked.
An hour at the gym isn't a Hawaiian vacation, but it's an opportunity to step back, calm down and get ready to open with a new approach. We all need a little attitude ajustment from time to time.