Retweet from Brandyn Small below. Thanks Brandyn! We love you Smalls and “miss having beers” with our Small friends!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two pints of beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked u
p a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed again that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the rest of the space. He asked once more if the jar was full, and his students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two pint glasses of beer from under the table and poured the contents of both into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the grains of sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – your family, children, health, friends and your favourite passions; things that, if everything else was lost and only they remained, would still make your life full.”

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else – the small stuff.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to get medical checkups, take your partner out to dinner and play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the leaky tap. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities, because the rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem to be, that there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.”

In corporate sales we are asked to lead in areas such as metrics, but to follow in other areas. To follow, we have to learn the art of speaking less. I just listened to Breakthrough Summer Part 3 on this site http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/celebration-church-texas/id440992086. By the middle of this sermon, you take away so many strong points such as:
-A closed mouth sins less, reveals control and wins trust.
-When your mouth is closed, you can hear
-When you close your mouth, God opens his hand to you
-If it is not positive, don’t say it
-Before you speak, pray and ask yourself, “Is this going to benefit me or those around me?”
The above can be so challenging. The rare breed and true leaders are those that master the above and lead in metrics.

For a couple weeks now, I have been trying to study how to set your mind to overcome negative thoughts or to achieve goals. This book seems to ride the same wavelengths as Visualization for Dummies, but it defines the types of energy that drives our success and how to strengthen those.  It suggests that we need to establish positive energy rituals in order to strengthen our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy.  It outlines the most
important positive rituals as:

• Go to bed early and wake early, and at the same times
• Get eight hours of sleep per day
• Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day
• Take breaks every 90-120 minutes a day
• Eat breakfast
• Do two cardio and two strength exercises a week
• Drink 48-64 oz of water per day
• Have a balanced diet and focus on low glycemic foods (http://www.low-glycemic-foods.org/)

The book also suggests adding rituals that are aligned with your values. For instance, if you want to enrich your relationships, make sure you call someone you care about on the way home from work.

From this book I also liked their statement, “Positive energy flows from opportunity, adventure, and challenge.” Negative energy is precipitated by threat, danger, and fears of survival.”

I strongly agree with the philosophies of this book.  I still wish to learn visualization techniques as well.

Doug Rice summarized his favorite points from Spin Selling here: http://t.co/LXmf1hY5.

Here are my favorite take always: “Great questions mirror the buying cycle of the customer.   The problem with the questioning of the unsuccessful sales rep is that it reflects the sales process rather than the purchasing process. S.P.I.N. stands for “Situation questions,”
“Problem questions,” “Implication questions,” and “Need-payoff questions.” These questions reflect the process a customer goes through when making a purchasing decision. First, they take account of their present situation. Then, they realize that there is a problem is some area. Next, they think about the negative effects the problem could have on their business. Finally, they evaluate the benefits of solutions. Traditional questioning jumps straight to benefits, without even bothering to discover if those “benefits” are relevant to the customer. SPIN selling walks the customer through the purchasing process in a manner with which they are more comfortable…

The successful salespeople highlighted the purpose of the call, gained agreement from the prospect, and simply moved forward.”

(Revised from the missions of Ashraf Chaudhry http://ashrafchaudhryblog.com/daily-mantra-of-a-salesperson/ and Jeffrey Gitomer http://www.gitomer.com/articles/ViewGitbit.html?id=14575). I am also learning coaching from Keith Rosen, and included some of his thoughts from Coaching Salespeople into to Sales Champions.

I am thankful to my Almighty that he chose for me the profession of Selling. He chose me to
add value to life of people and to alleviate pains of the people. I promise that I will perform my role without compromising on ethics and values.

Where ever I go, I promise, I will carry a message of optimism, a message of positive values. I will shun negative people. I will shun the gossip groups. I will not waste my major time on minor things. I will rededicate myself daily to be the harbinger of hope and the messenger
of positive thinking.

I promise to be proud of the organization I represent. I am proud of the products and services that I offer to solve the problems of the people. Every moment, every hour, every day, I will consciously make effort to increase and update my knowledge about my products, about my organization and about my industry. Knowledge is power and I will increase my knowledge every day. I will multiply my worth and value by reading books and by getting associated
with people of substance.

From now onward, I promise, I will knock at more doors; I will call on more people, to help them benefit from my offerings. In this process, I may get rejected, but I will not take rejections personally. I promise that I will keep my hopes and morale very high even in the wake of disappointments and frustrations.

I will strive to build quality, long term relationships with my customers and to deal fairly
and honestly with all people and companies I encounter. I will continually endeavor to increase the level of service to my customers. I will help my customers discover the best solutions to their sales, marketing, and management needs by listening, providing information, and performing services to the highest standards of excellence. My expertise will position me to serve with the highest quality plans, strategies, advice, and support.

I believe, God provides ‘livelihood’ to me and my family through my customers. I will make
every possible effort to give them value for money. I will go extra mile and extra smile with them to give them delightful experience of my products and services. I promise that from now onward I will plan my sales calls immaculately. I will leave no room for carelessness. I
promise to share my knowledge and experiences with my colleagues without any conditions.

On coaching, I will help others when I am able, without sacrificing my goals. I will respond
to those who ask me for help and enable them to find the answers themselves and develop their own problem solving skills.  I will help them turn their fears into positive goals that they can effect today.  I will challenge them and keep them accountable towards their goals.  I will help those around me recognize their own passions and strengths in order to help them bring out their best and get what they want out of life. I will focus my outreach on the mediocre, not the flying or failing reps, as studies show this is what will help my employer the most. I will continue to lead by example in sales, marketing, and writing and seek leadership positions.

Optimism, hope, helping others, ethics and values, winning, and keep on winning is my identity.

(edited by Leslie of Ewriteonline.com)

A couple of months ago I binned up all of the biblical books in our house and put them in their own cubby.  I started pulling out a book on Sundays for an hour, but I noticed this time has always extended for hours and even into other days of the week. Perhaps this is a good way for everyone to start getting into the practice of devotionals, as this time has become invaluable to me.  Often times I’ve spent this special time praying for people who have asked me to, or people that are too helpless or ignorant to ask themselves.  But often times I spend this time focused on principles I want to learn and end up in dedications of prayer for my boys.

One of the biggest fears a parent has is to lose their child before their own time.  Another parental fear not talked about as much is dying before you are able to teach your children everything you can about succeeding in life.  It is for this reason I have started a library of biblical books for my sons.

The first I dedicated was Beautiful in God’s Eyes, by Elizabeth George.  This author was recommended to me by many.  Even though I have not yet favored her as much as I have other authors, I did find it moving enough to dedicate to my sons.  Here is the note I wrote inside this book’s cover:

“Cole and Josh,
Proverbs 31 is a prayer of a mother that her sons find the perfect wife.  It is also about God’s image of the perfect woman.  My prayer for you is that you find a near perfect wife, and that you and your wives study Proverbs 31 and support each other in being as perfect as you can in God’s eyes.
Love, Mom”

If you follow me, you know that I just got through a very trying financial time, and that I am very ambitious. In attempt to gain Solomon-like wisdom I started reading the book The Solomon Secret. Here’s the author’s description:

“Solomon could have anything… But he asked for WISDOM.  Not money or more power.  He asked for the ability to make sound judgments and know the difference between good and evil… Solomon will give us the big picture of what is important and wise and, I’ll provide us with the day to day applications…”

My inside cover prayer will probably look something like this:

“Sons, I have been through many financial hardships in my life and wish to protect and guide you through your own. This book seems to be a great starting point for this, and in its appendix it lists other most recommended books on finances.  I will continue to review them and add to my library for you.
Love, Mom”

I seem to have found a new passion related to my heart as a Christian mother.  If anyone ever finds my motherly prayers and dedications print publish worthy, please let me know. I have categorized all of them under ‘Prayers and Dedications.’