by 
We all crave control. Not just in sales or business, but in every aspect of our lives. And yet life is frustrating and scary because so many things are beyond our control. Things like:
• The economy
• What your competition does
• Your prospect’s budget
• The weather
• Traffic
• The stock market
• Interest rates
• Other people’s values, beliefs, and priorities
• The past
• The pace and scope of change
• Whether or not your team wins the championship
• Tax policy
• Government regulations
• The next generation
• Crime
• Natural disasters
• Wars and other international conflicts
It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of so many important things we have no control over. And that sense of powerlessness can lead us to not try as hard as we should, avoid taking risks and making changes, and even completely give up.
The good news, however, is that there are far more things you have complete and total control over. Such as:
1. Your attitude
2. Your beliefs
3. Your thoughts
4. Your mood
5. Your enthusiasm
6. Your self-talk
7. How you spend your time
8. How organized you are
9. How you prospect
10. How much research you conduct on your prospects
11. The words you use
12. The questions you ask
13. How much TV you watch
14. The number of books you read
15. What you read
16. Your product knowledge
17. Your presentation skills
18. Your follow-up
19. How respectful you are
20. How courteous you are
21. How kind you are
22. How generous you are
23. What you eat and drink
24. How much you drink
25. Your exercise regimen
26. How much sleep you get
27. How much time you take off
28. Your social media activity
29. How honest you are with others
30. How honest you are with yourself
31. The number of sales training seminars you attend
32. What you listen to in the car
33. How often you ask for help
34. How often you solicit feedback
35. Your priorities
36. How often you step outside your comfort zone
37. Whether or not you take responsibility
38. How hard you work
39. The people you choose to associate with
40. The company you work for
41. What you wear
42. Your hygiene
43. Your grooming
44. How patient you are
45. How much negativity you expose yourself to
46. Your resilience
47. Your boundaries
48. Your gratitude
49. Your goals
50. Your planning
51. Your focus
52. How unquestioningly you believe what you read, see, and hear
53. Whether or not you learn from your mistakes
54. Whether or not you forgive yourself for your mistakes
55. How much you delegate
56. How much you trust people
57. Your response time
58. How you manage your finances
59. How much you network
60. How well you develop and nurture your network
61. Whether or not you ask for the sale
62. How well you deal with objections
63. Whether or not you discount
64. How you deal with stress
65. How open you are to learning new things
66. How judgmental you are
67. Which commitments you keep
68. How many risks you take
69. The kinds of risks you take
70. How quickly you adapt and change
71. Your perseverance
72. How much you listen
73. How well you listen
74. Your creativity
75. The amount you praise and compliment others
76. How much research you do before making a decision
77. How open you are to other people’s ideas
78. How much information you share with other people
79. Whether or not you smoke, vape, or chew
80. What drugs you take
81. How much you gamble
82. How often you dwell on your past
83. Your negotiation skills
84. Whether or not you get a mentor
85. Whether or not you work with a coach
86. How well you take care of the needs of those around you
87. Your mastery of technology
Whew!
So take heart—while it’s true that there are a lot of things you can’t control, there are many more that you can. Ultimately, the person who has the most control over your life is you.
Don’t let the things beyond your control get you down. Focus instead on the items you do have power over and use that power. You have more control than you realize, and when you exert it, you will dramatically improve your results, your sales, your relationships, and your life.
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