A few months ago, a colleague opened, “I am worried. It appears that I might not meet my numbers this year. We have the sales review presentation with the head of our division next month.” There was a palpable sense of diffidence in her body language.

Upon enquiring about why she felt that way, I discovered that one of her clients who had committed to offering a huge volume of business, was filing for bankruptcy. Now there was a gaping hole peeping back at her from the account books.  

Let’s face it.

Aren’t we likely to feel trapped by our own insecurities when the outcomes are not in our favour? Aren’t we all anchored to some extent to extrinsic outcomes, that in many cases are beyond our control? What if there was a way to draw energy from our intrinsic drive to continue hustling for new opportunities?

When a situation like above arises, what if we asked ourselves a few questions? “How do I bridge this sales gap?” instead of being side-tracked by our fear of not meeting expectations. Having acknowledged the problem, we can now move on to the next question, “What opportunities can I convert from my pipeline within the defined time frame?”. The next question is shouting at us, “What resources do I need to fulfil this requirement?”. The last but not the least question “Who can help me obtain these resources?”

Dan Millman in “The Art of the Peaceful Warrior” recommends the one thing that we need to let go is control. If we remain fluid to the outcomes that are thrown at us, don’t we have a better chance at navigating change?