What This Means To You...A Daily Goal

Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.

Where are the days going?! Only three months ago I was graduating from UCF and preparing for a move to Georgia. All the while, creating the next set of goals in my young career…

…One thing that has drastically changed is my outlook on ‘goals’ though. The long-term goals I had set, such as graduating high school and college, were practical for those situations. Unfortunately, what I have found in the real world is that you are given a goal, in my case a monthly number. For most jobs, you have a goal; the whole reason you were hired by the company of your choice.

What surprised me was how my long-term goals would not suffice. I had to understand why I was in the field doing my job. After I found that broad goal, getting the specimens to the lab, I could create a plan for each call. No matter what office I was walking into I knew what the final goal and what I needed to achieve to get there…

So What Does This Mean To You…

No one is a stranger to ‘goals.’ Everyone creates goals that they strive for each and every day, but sometimes don’t know how to get there! By finding that broad goal, you can work in reverse and find exactly what needs to be achieved to reach that goal. By having those daily goals, you’ll feel much more accomplished every day.

J.C>

What This Means To You...Just say Thanks!

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.

No matter how small or how great the act of kindness, we were always bred to say thank you. Not just verbally, but the rare form of a thank you card! During my tenure as a member of the Professional Selling Program at UCF, writing thank you cards became a weekly (sometimes daily) endeavor. I became so accustomed to writing thank you cards that I continued to do so even after graduation for any account that sat down and spent time with me.

Recently, I received a letter back in the mail because the USPS couldn’t find the mailbox…lucky me! I decided I was going to hand deliver the letter later in the week after I ran my route in the area. That Thursday, I made sure to drop in to the office right before 5:00 P.M. After giving the letter away, and explaining why it was covered with ‘Return to Sender’ stickers, the Office Manager gave me a lead that could really mean some great business for my team.

My Sales rep and I followed up with the lead Friday afternoon, and found that the office manager had called to let the office know we were going to stop by. Not only that, but apparently had only good things to say about us. We did nothing special with this office, but send them a simple thanks and in return we received a personalized invitation to some new business…

What This Means To You…

Thank you cards are not meant to gain new business or get on anyone’s good side. They are meant to show gratitude and sheer appreciation…period. If you are grateful for something why not show it with a simple stamp and a quick personalized ‘thank you.’ Once again it comes full circle… How would you feel after receiving a thank you card? Why not share that pleasant feeling with those around you?

What This Means To You...Would you take the time?

The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.

Picture yourself driving 250 miles back home after a long week of moving into a new apartment. A very accomplished feeling!

Of course, life always throws a curve ball…

Halfway home, I received a call from a random number. I answered and listened to a young lady tell me that she had my wallet…half an hour in the other direction. They agreed to wait for me to turn around and retrieve my wallet. I finally reached the remote gas station where I had left my wallet and the most thoughtful couple I have met. The man would not accept any kind of reward, but simply said “I’d hope you’d do the same for someone else…” I thought briefly about what he said and I was forced to run through the scenario… Would I have waited a WHOLE 30 minutes to return someone’s lost wallet?

Although I have always been taught to treat others, as you’d like to be treated, I don’t always jump at the opportunity to help someone else. This man and wife proved to me that the minor portion of your day spent helping someone in need is trivial compared to the joy you give the other individual…

What This Means To You…

That man and wife did not need to call me, wait for me, or even pick up my wallet. He honestly could have cared less, but that wasn’t the case. Everyday we have opportunities to do something that is out of our way or not worth our precious time. Next time you find one of those opportunities, don’t be afraid to take a little extra time out of your busy schedule to help out.  You never know how your actions can effect a situation. The easiest to go about it is to think about what you would want someone to do for you… if you answer honestly then you will know what to do!

What This Means To You...There is no 'I' in 'Team'

“You’re only as good as your support system. Your Team. Devote yourself to them.”

I will always remember that first weekend in March, where the most devoted team I have ever been apart of fought to reclaim a championship. Seven students were chosen to represent our college and program in the National Collegiate Sales Competition and I was fortunate enough to be one of those lucky few. At first there seemed to be tension and contest among the team, but after the competitors were selected the team buckled down. We quickly focused all of our efforts towards the common goal of representing our school, program, and our TEAM.

Rather than individuals struggling for a championship, we were a cohesive group supporting one another. Without believing in one another so fervently and truly devoting ourselves to the overall goal, we might not have been able to represent our University as well as we did…

So What Does This Mean To You…

Life will always hand you teams. Organized teams, scattered teams, large teams…it really doesn’t matter. The whole idea is to work with your team to complete a common goal to the best of your ability. It seems the easiest way to accomplish that and survive the project with a positive experience is to believe in and support your team. Having someone believe in YOU can be incredibly empowering…imagine what would happen if everyone on the team felt the same way! If you ever find yourself straying away from the team orientation, just remember there is no ‘I’ in ‘team.’

Seriously though… when do you ever spell team with an ‘I’?

What This Means To You...Take A Risk

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

…I am terrified…

…I am anxious...

…I am excited...

…And I am unbearably eager! These emotions have simultaneously surfaced here in Savannah and have created an unsettling anticipation for the next chapter in my life. College is coming to an end and I am blessed to find myself on the employed side of the world. I have been presented with an opportunity to start a career in a new state with a new territory.

Although I am fearful of the unknown, instead of panicking, I am reacting by focusing on the positive and doing something that scares me…leaving everything I know and love for the unfamiliar land of Georgia. 

Of course, the first step was to locate a new apartment. Shortly after my opening romp through Georgia, I realized what it was going to take to move and the risk involved! Yet, with that risk comes the possibility of great reward and success.

With the moving words of a wise friend I am choosing to take the risk… and reap the reward!

So What Does This Mean To You…

The most influential coach and mentor I have ever had the opportunity to work with once shared that you should do something every day that scares you! By following this strategy, you will find that instead of looking back with regret, you will only have great experience’s and life lessons to muse over. It doesn’t matter if it is meeting someone new or skydiving, take the risk and react to the occasion with confidence inspired by your fear!

-J.C. 

What This Means To You...Give The Greatest Gift!

“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well”

-       

I departed my humble abode bright and early in an excessively blissful mood. Not because it was a Friday, but because of the coffee I get to enjoy every Friday morning! As a creature of habit, I had fallen into a Friday routine, which just happened to involve stopping at my local BP Gas Station. Although I started going to the BP for the coffee, I fell into the routine because of how sociable the employees were.

One in particular, Gary, was working just to fund his dream. I found one Friday morning that he desired an opportunity to create his own music label. Unfortunately, I did not make it back to the BP that following Friday due to an erratic schedule. Yet, when I finally found my way back to the Friday morning establishment, I made sure to find out how his musical endeavors were going. His response was simple, yet eye opening… “You remembered?!”

I do not have the best memory and I definitely do not find myself listening when I should be, yet when Gary continued to reveal the progress he had made, I just stood there surprised. The sense of shock was not owed to the fact that I remembered, but that Gary seemed so surprised that someone listened.

So What Does This Mean to You…

Whether it is in your sales career or just everyday life, you will always have an opportunity to listen. Remember to take that opportunity every chance you get and you will be surprised at what really is going on around you. The greatest gift you can give anyone is listening and respecting what he or she has to say. The challenge here is to actually LISTEN. Stand out and be one of the exceptional communicators… an expert conversationalist AND listener. 

-J.C.

What This Means To You...Don't Become Consumed!

“Live every day like it is your last”

Yes it is cliché, but before you jump to conclusions read it again and REALLY think about what that motto can mean to you. The above is an old adage that holds so much and can change the way you look at your life. With my collegiate career coming to an end, the opportunity to share what I learned presented itself in the form of a final presentation.  In my presentation I made sure to explain how much I had learned from my mentors and coaches, yet I failed to mention that the the most eloquent message I received this year was from a friend of mine that I had offended.

The spring semester in the UCF Professional Selling Program is ultimately a marathon of competition. As someone who hates to be second, this semester sent me through a roller coaster of emotion in search for the win. Slowly I began to lose sight of what was important and became consumed by the work I was doing. The week our semester project was due, a friend of mine passed by with a distasteful look on her face. I immediately took notice and needed to figure out why I had been on the receiving end of such an immobilizing glare.

She mentioned how the only thing I spoke of throughout the semester was regarding the work I had been doing and how I had forgotten to invest in the relationships of those around me. After an extensive conversation, we came to the realization that I had become consumed in work and unknowingly lost sight of what really mattered to me. I had such thirst for a victory that I put my friends and family on the back burner. Yet this exchange was sadly not the first time that I had been made aware of my unconscious actions, it was just the first time I acknowledged that I had to reorganize how I balanced my life. I now look in the mirror in the morning and can recall what motivates me to work so fervently. At a young age, I realized how crucial keeping your life balanced really is…

So what does this mean to you?

You will always have deadlines and work that can easily fill your planner! Yet when you look at the lingering to-do list do you have an answer as to why you fill your day and work so hard? Whatever your answer may be, make sure you never lose sight of it! Never become so consumed by your work that you get lost in it and forget what really motivated you to work so passionately in the first place! Remember to focus on the finish line, but never become so consumed by the marathon that you forget who or what is cheering for you on the sidelines!

- J.C.