Finding Personal and Professional Success Despite Uncertainty
Bob Miglani is an expert on how to embrace the chaos. He came to America from India as a child. His family opened a Dairy Queen, where he learned that if you work hard, everything will take care of itself. He went on to a corporate career with tremendous success, becoming the top salesperson at his company. After the recession hit in 2008, though, he began to realize that working hard doesn’t always guarantee success, and there are a lot of outside factors outside of our control that influence how we live our lives. Miglani, interviewed by John Golden, tells the story of how he learned to embrace the chaos and uncertainty of life to find success, both personally and professionally.
This expert sales interview explores how to embrace the chaos, including:
- Techniques for embracing chaos
- Why you should start running after busses
- Taking responsibility for mental attitudes
Stop Waiting, and Start Running (after the bus):
On a trip to India as an adult, Miglani wanted to have a local experience, and take public transportation. Before the bus arrived, Miglani’s cousin provided boarding instructions, which involved running after the bus and jumping on when it slowed – not stopped – at the bus station. The bus came barreling down the street, with no intention of stopping, filled to the brim with passengers. The only way to board this incredibly crowded vehicle was to run along with the bus, jump on, and hope that you were able to find and cling to a spot long enough to get to your destination. The first bus went by, and Miglani watched the chaos, jaw on the floor, feet planted on the floor. The second bus came by, and his mind was filled with thoughts of falling, hospital trips, and other imagery of worst case scenarios. As the third bus came down the dirt road, Miglani accessed new determination when he realized it was his mind that was holding him back. “I started getting into a motion, and I found myself running. My mind shut off as soon as I took action. I caught the bus, and just as I was about to slip off, another passenger helped me back on the bus. I had no idea where we were going, no idea where my cousin was, but we were going somewhere. It was happening,” said Miglani. “If you wait for the perfect bus, you’re going to miss some of the happiest moments of your life.” Miglani illustrates this story to emphasize the need to stop waiting, start running, and take action. As he embraced chaos, he found happiness and success.
Two Techniques for Embracing Chaos:
Embracing chaos begins with two techniques. The first is giving up control over things that we cannot control. We have control over the words we use, the thoughts we think, and the actions we take. “We tend to gravitate towards this idea of trying to control things and have everything work out neatly, but that’s not how life works,” said Miglani. “When you control what you can, and embrace what you cannot, you begin to live a life of success.” The second technique is to stop waiting for perfection. “There is no such thing as perfection,” said Miglani. “There is no perfect job, spouse, career, employee… Perfection is an illusion of our mind trying to bring order to a life that has none.” Focusing on control and perfection is toxic for salespeople. It will foster an obsession with doing something that cannot be done, and distract from doing productive, quality work. In fact, imperfect products and people are more moldable and could be even better suited for success in the business world.
Taking Responsibility for Mental Attitudes:
As sales or business professionals, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by the challenges of personal and professional life. However, this overwhelmed mindset affects our mental attitude and can permeate into how we interact with others. It’s important for salespeople to take responsibility for their mental attitude and how they show up, despite the chaos that is inevitably going on around them. This begins with being mindful and aware of what you are saying, what you are doing, how you are doing it, and ensuring that you operate in a way that is in line with your ultimate goals. “Be aware of where your mind, and your body, are at. Ensure those are in a good place in order to be mindful of the challenges, traps, and stressors that life might throw at you,” said Miglani.
To learn more about embracing chaos to achieve success, watch the expert sales interview.
About our Host:
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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