disappointment, and adversity are the chief bandits of optimism and en-
couragement; however, these three are easily muddled into a stewing sense
of failure and pessimism.
An effective and liberating exercise is to examine our personal sources
of discouragement (when we are feeling the weight of those emotions) to as-
sess if we are unnecessarily being pulled into a quagmire of negative thought
patterns. Let’s start by offering facile definitions of these chief sources of
discouragement.
- Failure.Where my actions are the chief cause of the situation
- Disappointment.Where others have caused these circumstances
- Adversity.Where circumstances have formed an obstacle
Far too often, the sales professional who carries disappointment con-
cerning the actions (or inaction, as the case may be) of another internal-
izes the discouragement through a lens of personal failure. On the other
side of the issue, there are those who blame others or adverse circum-
stances for their discouraged states, when they have failed to make the ef-
forts necessary to succeed.
To assess your resilience in regards to these three separate sources of
discouraging thought, take the short assessment in Figure 13.1. This self-
assessment should help you to isolate your vulnerable areas.
THE LEARNING RESPONSE
Every time we encounter the three faces of discouragement—failure,
disappointment, and adversity—we have the opportunity to respond either
optimistically (with hope) or pessimistically (without hope). In studying the
character traits of the most resilient sales professionals, one characteristic
that quickly rises to the surface is the ability to maintain a hopeful attitude
by means of employing the learning response.These individuals have trained
themselves to respond to negative situations with the thought, “What can I
learn from this situation that will make me better the next time I face it?”
In her book, If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules, Cherie Carter Scott
shares the following two fundamental rules of life.
- Life is a series of lessons.
- If you don’t learn the first time, the lesson will be repeated until you
do learn.
Sources of Discouragement 109