"What do you need to perform?"

"What do you need to perform?"

I asked the sales team I was working with.

"Motivation", "Inspiration", "Good leads", "I need to believe in it", said another.

"Have you ever performed without any of those?"

Thinking…

I threw a pen at one of the sales reps.

He caught it.

"Did you need motivation to catch that?" I asked.

"Did you need to believe in it?"

"I don't know. I just caught it."

I had been working with this team for about an hour, and we were breaking down what was keeping them from performing at their desired level.

"None of what you said you need to perform was present when I threw the pen. All that happened was that there was a pen flying, and it appeared to you as catchable."

You always act in accordance with how the world appears to you (there's a fantastic book on the topic – if you're interested, let me know).

The explanation for why you need something, you add after the fact.

That doesn't mean that motivation, inspiration, or good leads aren't helpful. They can be.

But they are not a prerequisite.

You are the prerequisite.

And if you allow yourself to see that – truly see it – a new playing field opens up.