In The Mood

We’ve been talking about being in the Groove, now we can talk about being in the Mood.  Your Mood is the measure of the motivational climate in the short term.  Think of it as the weather, not the climate.  And it can sunny or cloudy.  It is not in the sky; it is within you.  We referred to it in an earlier section, when we discussed the Mood Meter.

You can manage your mind and your mood by reducing those times that you dwell upon unproductive thinking.  Here are the don’ts:

“CLOUDY” Weather

Don’t think about past problems.

Don’t forget your past successes.

Don’t dwell on past failures.

Don’t downgrade yourself.

Don’t envy others.

Don’t take office news and politics personally.

Don’t hang around with slackers.

Don’t ignore a problematic situation.  Tackle it.

Don’t blame someone else, or the Home Office.

For decades, I suffered through the northern winters.  The skies were gloomy and overcast, the winds blew, snow fell, and it seemed as if everyone was waiting to be happy – waiting for springtime.

But then I moved to Florida, where the sun shines nearly all of the time.  My Mood improved immeasurably, but you wouldn’t believe how many Florida residents find a reason to complain:

“The summers are so hot and sticky.”

No, they’re not!  The heat and humidity [humiture] is just as stifling in the Midwest and North.  The mood is all about your attitude about life and living.  As Morgan Freeman’s character in “Shawshank Redemption” stated it so well:

“Get busy living or get busy dying.”

Cancer survivors know this too well.

“SUNNY” Weather

To create a “Sunny” mood:

Do smile.

Do read a book or see a movie.

Do give thanks for the little things.

Do more than think positive thoughts.  “See” them, “feel” them.

Do give yourself credit.

Do acknowledge that some things are beyond your control.

Do exercise.

Do talk to a mentor.

Do something special for yourself – get a massage, or treat yourself to a facial.

You’ll never know if you’ve “arrived” at a Peak Performance level until you’ve been blessed with the experience of being “In the Zone,” where your Mood, your Skills, and your Intellect are synchronized and electrified.

How important is Mood “in the Zone?”  Allow us to use salespeople as a monument to the importance of Mood.  Literally months of work punctuated by a positive “Can Do” attitude and hope can all be destroyed by a single word . . .

“NO!”

Co-author Steve Carroll is president and CEO of Lee DuBois Technologies (www.leedubois.com).  Lee DuBois Technologies offers sales training and talent development for individuals and corporations.  To purchase a copy of Don’t Sell Yourself Short…Be All That You Can Be!, visit the website, www.dontsellyourselfshort.net .