Our characters are something like our deeper identities. People often say they are “good or bad judges of characters” and can understand, or fail to understand, a person’s true intentions. Since humans are complex, our characters contain many elements, traits, behaviors, etc.
However, only four elements matter when it comes to building your professional character and being successful at what you do. They are:
- Personality Traits.
- Beliefs.
- Mindset.
- Motivation.
Understanding these elements and fixing them in a way that works in your favor rather than against you is the key to unlocking professional success as a salesperson.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
Personality traits are what you bring to the table. You carry these traits with you before you join your job, and these inner characteristics are expressed through patterns, habits, and behaviors.
For instance, being creative is a personality trait and being a penny pincher is a personality trait. These traits can express themselves as behaviors, patterns, or habits. These traits are hard to change, but the following elements can influence them.
BELIEFS
Beliefs are your deep-rooted “WHATS”. They are a series of rules you have established, and they somehow explain life and the world through your filters. For example, believing that all people are rude is a belief but is an unhelpful one.
Beliefs usually create pre-assumptions in your head, and you expect things to be a certain way, according to your thoughts. If you run on limiting beliefs, things are going to be problematic in your job as well as in your life.
Adopting more helpful beliefs can influence your personality traits and set you up for a happier and more successful business and personal life.
MINDSET
If beliefs are the WHAT, the mindset is the HOW. Having a winner’s mindset means determining your reactions in advance and helpfully tweaking them.
You might believe that all people are rude, but you have a mindset of always staying calm and dealing with rudeness without getting upset. The beauty of the HOW is that it will gradually affect your beliefs and help you change because behaviors can also influence personality traits, just like personality traits manifest as behaviors.
That is the meaning of fake it till you make it. It’s not about lying to yourself but rather using your external world to affect the inner world.
MOTIVATION
People wake up daily to work to earn a paycheck and not get fired. That is outer motivation. Some people wake up early to do something they love, even if there is no apparent reward. That is inner motivation.
External motivation can keep you running, but inner motivation can contribute to your satisfaction and long-term success. Motivation is your WHY.
To sum up, we all are who we are, but our identities are not fixed. Although change is complex and requires consistent work, adapting to your work and life conditions may be what you need to achieve long-term success and fulfillment.
Dig your beliefs up, find why you need to tweak them and decide how you will react. Success only helps those who learn to help themselves.
