Selling Boldly

10Optimism versus Pessimism

Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.”

This is one of my favorite quotes in the world.

Our behavior follows our thinking.

We do what we think.

Our beliefs shape our actions.

So, if you wake up in the morning and believe you're going to have a terrible day, you probably will. You'll be looking for it to be terrible. You'll even be taking actions that will help your day be terrible. You'll be actively undermining yourself:

• “Of course, there's traffic! What else is new?”
• “My son is going to argue with me, but today I'm going to give it back to him!”
• “I hate getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist's—it's going to hurt like crazy.”

Now, if you wake up in the morning and believe you're going to have a good day, there's a good chance that you will. You will be looking for the upside and opportunity and value in exactly the same experiences. The events won't change one bit, but your orientation to them will be totally different, which will change your thinking entirely, which will, of course, affect your behavior and, ultimately, your mood:

• “The extra time in the car will let me listen to that good audio book I've been meaning to get to—or, imagine it!, to call some of my customers proactively and check in with them.”
• “When my son pushes back today, it will be a wonderful teaching moment and we'll examine both sides of the issue calmly.”
• “I'm not looking forward to the dentist today, but who does? When it's ...