"No pain! No gain!" ... uh ... what ...???

01 October 2023

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"Don't be a loser! Just go out and talk to people! Mindset is everything! Learn to love rejection!"

The motivational guru couldn't stop preaching. In an even louder voice, he continued with his memorized metaphors:

• No pain, no gain is like climbing a mountain - the higher you go, the harder the journey will be but the better the view at the top.
• No pain, no gain is like forging a sword - you have to put in long hours and hard work to make it strong enough to withstand whatever life throws at it.
• No pain, no gain is like running a marathon - each step will be difficult but if you keep going, you'll finish with a sense of accomplishment and pride.
• No pain, no gain is like planting a tree - watering and nurturing it today may not show immediate rewards, but over time will bear fruit for all to enjoy.

The motivational guru began sweating. He loved his performance. "Don't ever stop! Embrace rejection! Celebrate the critics! Spit into the wind!"

When he finally took a breath from his monologue, I asked, "Wouldn't it make more sense to just learn how to talk to people politely? So that they give us 'yes' answers? So that we don't feel bad and we never get rejected?"

… W-H-O-A!!!!

This isn't what he wanted to hear. Uh-oh. Some hurt feelings.

The motivational speaker choked a bit, and then told me, "Let me continue. We must suffer our way to the top! Victory comes from agony and pain! We must crush negative obstacles in our path! Just do it!"

I smiled and excused myself from the conversation. I wonder if he has any success stories of people he coached?  Whoever stayed with him? What a miserable journey that must be.

This can’t possibly be true, can it?

I tell my clients, "Prospects make decisions right away, almost instantly, before the facts. They don't wait for the presentation."

Learn better words in the first 10 seconds and avoid rejection, that makes sense to me, I am 5 foot 6 and a coward, so I avoid rejection at all costs.

Humour

Business and shop signs:

On an Optometrist's Office door,

"If you don't see what you're looking for,

You've come to the right place."

In a Shoe Repair Store,

"We will heel you...

We will save your sole...

We will even dye for you!"

On a Podiatrist's office door,

"Time wounds all heels."

Written on a Septic Tank truck,

"Yesterday's Meals on Wheels"

On a Plumber's truck,

"Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."

On an Electrician's truck,

"Let us remove your shorts."

In a Non-smoking Area,

"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and will take appropriate action."

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