When I first started out in sales, despite having some great success, I used to fear someone was going to tap me on the shoulder and say “I’m sorry, there’s been a mistake, you don’t know what you’re doing. ”

How many of you have felt like a fraud in some way or another?

There is nothing wrong with “fake it till you make it” because when you learn something new, all the mistakes are at the beginning.

Remember when you learned how to drive? It was not smooth, nor were you confident to drive on the freeway at night on your first day on your own. Baby steps. First you learn how to drive in a parking lot, then side streets, then freeways. The same is true learning this new way of thinking about yourself as a brand and how to “sell it.” If you don’t like the word “sell” think of it in terms of emotional storytelling that makes you want or desire a certain outcome.

I have learned to define success not only financially, but also by achieving a sense of inner peace about who I am and the contributions I make to others at work and out of work.

When you realize the importance of having your identity be larger than your job description, you are on your way to freedom which fuels your energy to soar.

The keys are:

·    Stay in the moment,

·    Be comfortable with silence and

·    Don’t take rejection personally

These keys will make your career soar and give you a sense of accomplishment.

We also don’t fret over what might or might happen tomorrow. My favorite quote from Mexico on this topic is “Don’t cry before they hit you.”  Are you worried about a new boss or being fired? If it is not happening now, don’t cry about it. It probably won’t happen and if it does, worrying about it won’t help you when it does happen.

Fear of the future drains all the pleasure from the present. @jwlorr (Click to Tweet!)

You are here to get CLEAR for take off on your SUCCESS flight plan!

Here’s how it works.

What we focus our attention on MOST OF THE TIME informs and instructs the way our lives manifest. If you want to fly from LA to NY, you don’t think about how to get to Chicago. Focus on what you want and where you want to go and how you want to feel along the way. Emerson said “Life is a journey not a destination.” I take it one step further and say, how we feel during the journey is key.

When you add in how you want others to respond, feel around you, then you really soar vs just fly. If some of you are thinking, I’m not in sales, I would offer “ All of us have to sell ourselves all the time. Whether or not we are selling our ideas to get implemented or to get promoted, we still have to sell ourselves.”

You have to sell yourself first to YOURSELF. If you don’t buy what you have to offer the world no one else will either!

When you sell yourself, you are selling your integrity, your value and your ability to do what you say you will do. The people who can sell their concepts and their value most successfully get PAID the most. Did you hear that? Let me repeat it. The people who can sell their concepts and their value most successfully get PAID the most.

Let’s start this off with an Affirmation I would like you to use. “ What I have to offer has value and people want to buy from ME. I am lavishly compensated for my skills and effort.” If you say that to yourself with conviction three times during today, I promise you will start to FEEL a shift in perception. That is the first step towards a change in your belief.

If you are a student, you need to sell yourself to get admission to college. If you are interviewing for a job, you need to convince the person to hire you. If you are a real estate agent, you need to convince buyers that you are the right person to find their dream house. Even singers are told to “Sell it” when they are singing, which means make the audience buy it or get emotionally involved.

How you feel about yourself when you are selling directly impacts the results you achieve. If you are trapped in self defeating and negative perceptions about who you are as a seller and why you are selling….it will be a struggle to be successful.

I will assist in keeping ALL OF US on a flight plan of THINKING that will enable us to FOCUS on EXACTLY where we want to go.

Feel free to EXPAND on that destination in your life. We will be co-pilots in this journey. Please share your thoughts and feelings on selling yourself in the comments below.

John Livesay is the best selling author of “The 7 Most Powerful Selling Secrets: Soar Your Way to Success With Integrity, Passion and Joy” which has been translated into Spanish and Russian. He is a business coach and motivational speaker as well as the Executive Director, Corporate Partnerships at Conde Nast Media Group. John won global salesperson of 2012 not only for W magazine, but for all of the Conde Nast’s titles and 3,000 employees. You can find out more about John on his website.