How to Stay Determined

Don’t Let “No” Keep you Down

Think back to when you were a little kid. What was the first thing you can remember that you really, really wanted? Can you remember how determined you were about getting it? Was it a bike? Maybe it was a puppy. Or what about a BB gun? Think about it for a minute really let yourself envision this thing you wanted as a kid. It was easy as a kid, you didn’t even have to think about how to stay determined.

Goals Drive You Whether you are a Kid or an Adult

How did it make you feel? Were you absolutely eaten up with the desire to have it? Was it something that you wanted to read about, talk about and research all of the time. Did it keep you up at night just thinking about what it would be like if you got that really special thing?

I know for me it was my first dog. I was eight years old and my mom really didn’t want any animals around the house. Which was funny because my dad raised horses and he had all kinds of farm animals when I was young. She was definitely against me getting a dog.

This is when I learned my first lesson in sales. You have to be determined. You can’t let a little thing like “no” get in the way of getting what you want. Ethically, of course.

I remember researching what kind of dog I wanted for what felt like years to me at the time. I would check books about dog breeds out at the library and I would read it cover to cover and then read it again. It excited me to learn what each type of breed was capable of doing and what they were bred to do. This is how I stayed determined. An interesting side note is I can still tell you a lot about each breed of dog.

No, No, No, YES (Woohoo!!)

I finally figured out what type of dog I wanted. I wanted a hunting dog. A hound dog to be exact. As a young kid we live on the edge of town and I would spend hours out in the field hunting for animals with my little BB gun. So I wanted a dog that could help me with my hunts. I had narrowed it down to two breed of hound dogs, Beagle and Basset Hound.

Now it was time to start my sales pitch. I asked my mom specifically for the type of dog that I wanted. Told her why I wanted it and how I would take such good care of it. I assured her that she would not have to feed or take care of the dog. She wasn’t convinced. The first thing out of her mouth was “NO” we are not getting a dog. This was a huge blow because I had spent so much time and effort deciding on a dog.

Even though she said “no” I was still determined to find a way to get a dog. I started cleaning my room every day without her having to ask me. One morning I woke up early and got dressed for school and then crawled back under the covers when she came in to wake me up I surprised her by being ready to go. I was doing everything I could think of to get this dog.

So about a week later I asked her again hoping that she would give in because I had been working so hard. Again, she said “NO” we are not getting a dog. This back and forth went on for what seemed like forever. I would ask and she would say “NO” we are not getting a dog. I would try some new way to ask and she would say “NO” again.

Until one day she said “YES”. To this day I still don’t know why. I was just so happy I was able to get a dog. About two or three weeks later my dad came home with a dog that was a mix of a Basset Hound and German Shepard. If you know anything about dogs this was definitely not a normal mix but I was super excited anyway!

We Shouldn’t Out Grow Somethings

The reason I shared this story with you is I believe as kids we all have the determination to keep asking even when we are told “NO”. But somewhere along the line as we grow up we lose it. Between parents, grand parents, girlfriends, boyfriends and anybody else that told us “NO”. We decided that if they say “NO” then that is it.

We are programmed to give up after the first “NO”. It is not normal for us to keep asking because we have been told that is someone who asks for something to much is overbearing or a pester. So we ask for what we want and someone says “NO” and we move on.

It’s time to re-program yourself. It’s time to start thinking of “NOs” as just a stepping stone to a “YES”. It is the new idea or thinking that is going to get you where you want to go.

Go back and be a kid. Get excited about something. Get so excited that you can’t hardly stand it. Read about it. Talk about. Find a way to become more determined about achieving your goal. Then go out and ask for what you want until you get a “YES”

I am taking my own advice. I am super passionate about being able to share my successes and failures and hopefully bring an enormous amount of value to my readers.

There are really two things outside of my wife and kids that I get super excited about and that is learning more about Personal Improvement and Marketing. I am studying this with the same excitement I had when I was a kid thinking about getting my first dog. So expect to see more on how to create a better business and life.

Oh yeah, I will be asking you for something in the future. If you say, “No” expect me to ask again…kidding kinda!