Shine on You Crazy Diamond
I woke up this morning and stepped out on my back patio to feel the rush of the cool crisp air meet my face. Texas doesn’t get a true fall until about November but we do love our gentle mornings. I quickly made a cup of coffee and walked over to start journaling as I usually do. I felt so grateful in that moment. To be here, in my new house (for years I’ve lived in an apartment) sipping on coffee in sweat pants. It was surreal. Over this past year I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of growth. If I were to sit here and tell you all of the ways you would be astonished, but I am living proof that dreams can come true.
This week I was announced at my company as the top rep in August. I work in IT sales and a year ago when I joined the company I was barely holding it together. I was undergoing counseling for PTSD. I had pretty intense anxiety. I was picking up the pieces of my life and trying to make sense of them after a really hard breakup. I was also trying to be a positive example for my daughter while going through some of the hardest moments of my life. I remember at the turn of the calendar year I came to my boss and I said, “I am going to be the top rep.” I want you to know at this point I was at best mediocre. My numbers were not great the month before. I had only gained a handful of clients since coming on board. I really didn’t have the pipeline to back this up. But I knew one thing… I had determination and time to devote to the goal.
Beginning mid-January I started making more phone calls than I’ve ever made. On average 120 calls a day on top of appointments. I worked early until late in the evening. In between, I did as much as I could to take my daughter to youth group, extracurricular activities, get my own workout done and then run my social media business. It was grueling. Somedays I wasn’t sure how I was going to get it done. But I would tell myself - just go for a quick walk. Get the blood pumping and then return back to your list. Some days the entire day was taken five minutes at a time. Each phone call, email, ZOOOM meeting, DM, were knocked off one at a time. Baby steps I told myself. I needed to do baby steps. Just keep going.
The results began to show up. First, I started seeing an increase in a number of contracts I won. My average went from three a month to two a week. Then, the size of my deals started increasing. I made the decision about three months in to shift and go upmarket. The clients I began approaching were larger and the projects were more complex. Then, I got a random email towards the end of July that would lead to a huge account for Q3. The universe has a way of making room for you when you show up every day. I’m sharing this experience to tell you that you are the sum of your choices. Your current life is a combination of all of the moments, words, and thoughts you’ve had over your past. You have the power to change your circumstances.
People will call you crazy if you go for something big. You may even be discouraged. You might be told you need to slow down. You also might be ridiculed, made fun of, or even thrown under the bus by your peers. Some call it karma, others call it the law of attraction, but what you think you become. What you choose to do in the little things becomes who you are. Who are you going to choose? What are you going to be? I dare you to create a dream that allows you to shine like a crazy diamond.
