Stressed = Desserts spelled backwards

Lately I’d say the societal situation we are in plus the pandemic means many people have a higher base level of anxiety than they usually do. Talking about – being aware of – and practicing your Emotional Intelligence skills is more critical than ever.

Which reminded me of a post I wrote way back in 2011… and I still I don’t believe in coincidence – which is why when I saw “I know all about stressed, it’s ‘DESSERTS’ spell backwards!!!” I figured there was a reason.

In sales (perhaps even in life) stress can be a good thing OR a bad thing.

STRESS can be a good thing you ask?
The dictionary definition of stress = a force exerted by pressing, pulling, pushing, compressing, or twisting.

Newton’s First Law of Motion is the one that says, ‘a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it….’ True of both things and people (if you don’t believe me, how difficult is it to get up off the couch once you’ve sat down and turned on the TV?).

Which brings us to the GOOD THING about stress; without a little of it pushing us to move, we wouldn’t accomplish anything. The stress we put on ourselves to meet our goals, the stress our managers put on us to achieve what is expected of us at work, the stress our team puts on us to win – all good stuff.

Three GOOD Stress Tips:

1. Understand the motivation behind the stress, smile & get going
2. Recognize the kick in the pants and keep the momentum going
3. Make sure the activity moves you forward toward your goal

The BAD THING is when the stress turns into overwhelm. Instead of pushing us to move – we are pushed into a corner, unable to decide what to do… we do nothing.

That is a cycle that turns into a downward spiral…

More stress / more overwhelm / more doing nothing = more stress / more overwhelm / more doing nothing = more stress / more overwhelm / more doing nothing.

You get the idea (you’ve probably been there)!

Three BAD Stress Tips:

1. Write down what you need to get done & prioritize
2. Do ONE little thing that helps you move forward
3. Keep doing little things and the big things will get done

Now go do something! Then have dessert.

Be well,
Lynn
 
ps: Looking for emotional intelligence resources for sales? Check out Colleen Stanley’s two books on the subject:

1. buy your copy of Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success; Connect with Customers and Get Results
2. Preorder Emotional Intelligence for Sales Leadership; The Secret to Building High-Performance Sales Teams