January 1 is always a big deal.
It is a celebration of the new and of being grateful for, thankful for, or washing out the old. It’s a day of celebration, a day of football, a day of hangover recovery, a day of New Year’s resolutions, and a day of your strongest intentions to do more, do less, and do better.
Then there is January 2. It is not as significant as January 1 or February 1. Or is it?
There are several major (predictable) days of emotion, celebration, and reflection in each year. And there are some special days that pop up like the birth of a child, a monumental sale, or a surprise visit from an old friend or relative (whom you were happy to see).
Your birthday is the easiest one to identify, with significant other people’s (spouse, children, extended family members) birthdays and anniversaries close behind. Birthday celebrations and remembrances are both for the living and the dead. They are especially emotional if a parent, sibling, or close friend has passed on.
Emotional holidays both real and contrived like Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Fourth of July, and, of course, the big two – Christmas and New Year’s. There are other holidays that may affect you personally, not so much to celebrate but to remember, such as Martin Luther King Day, Veterans’ Day, even Flag Day.
The reason I am challenging you to think about these days is that they tend to be emotional and inspirational in one way or another.
And my thought this morning was: Why aren’t all days like that?
Think about the celebration, the emotion, the determination, the resolve, and the intention that you have on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. If you could replicate that 364 times each day you wake up this year, you could conquer the world (or at least your customers and prospects).
My New Year’s challenge to you is to better understand where your emotional drivers come from, document them, define them, harness their power, and repeat them each day as you get ready to conquer your world.
On the day my mother died, I clearly remember saying to my brother, “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, our world will never be the same.” In addition, on that day I resolved to do more, risk more, and act quicker. Fifteen years later when my father died, I doubled my resolve, and have maintained that resolve ever since.
REALITY: The older you get, the smarter your parents become. If yours are still alive, call them today, and thank them for their wisdom.
What days or holidays create resolve for you? It may be New Year’s Day, a day of life, or a day of death. What emotional spirit can you identify, capture, and harness in order to make a quantum leap and land safely, either in a pile of money, a warm pool of success, or on an island lying back on the beach of fulfillment?
Make your list (check it twice). Take about an hour to think of the most emotional days of your year and what thoughts, expressions, and actions you take as a result of that day. Some of those emotions are so powerful it may cause you to take more than an hour, and may even cause you to cry. The success key is for you to document them.
Document and memorialize these emotional moments and days in a way that you can call up their power every day. Maybe it’s a picture of your mom or dad on your desk as a reminder, maybe it’s a short list that you put on your calendar every day, maybe it’s Post-It notes on your bathroom mirror, maybe it’s establishing a mastermind group that meets weekly for breakfast, or maybe it’s just alone time for you to write and clarify your thinking, your intentions, and your proposed deeds.
Then take action with the same determination you had on New Year’s or your mom’s birthday.
Whatever it is you decide to do with this concept, I challenge you to do it soon. February 1 is coming and you may not realize it is as big a day to celebrate and take action as January 1.
If you want to add some affirmations to your determinations, go to www.gitomer.com and enter the word AFFIRMATION in the GitBit box.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can be reached at 704-333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com
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permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer, Inc – www.gitomer.com or 704-333-1112.
