Jay Bildstein

Every morning the alarm clock rings. We, filled with excitement about the day's coming events, jump out of bed. We are anxious and energetic to get the day started. We are enthused about what we have planned.

Does this describe most people? I don't think so.

Allow me to offer this alternative scenario. We are in a warm and cozy bed. The alarm clock rings. We barely open our eyes when we hear the offending bell or buzzer. We jut out our arm and smack the clock's snooze button. We've just bought ourselves 15 extra minutes of sleep. Delightful!

The alarm clock rings again. This time we shut it. We linger in bed a couple of minutes. Then we slowly get up. Once standing, we put on our slippers and begin our first journey of the day. We walk to the bathroom. We don't walk normally. Instead, after a full night's sleep, we walk stiff-legged.

Most of us take the first walk of the day, that walk that comes directly after rising, as if we had no knees. We walk as if we were on stilts. After a few moments of moving, we begin to walk more normally. Soon, our gait has restored itself. We have found our knees. They bend. The stiffness is gone.

Walking stiff-legged, after getting up in the morning, is not something that only afflicts folks in their middle years and beyond. People of all ages walk more stiffly when first getting out of bed. It takes a few moments for the body, and the legs in particular, to warm up. Once we begin moving, however, our movement regains its fluidity.

Having stiff knees, when getting up in the morning, can serve as a good metaphor for many of life's endeavors. In business, for example, it is imperative that we "find our knees." Let's look at sales.

If a salesperson becomes fearful of the sales process because he has recently met with more rejection than he's accustomed to, what might he do? Unfortunately, many individuals in this situation become reluctant to sell. They do not want to face more rejection. Instead, those people go to sleep. Not literally, but they begin to avoid dealing with sales prospects. They stay away from the selling process.

When they come out of their slumber are they in selling shape? Are their presentations smooth? Do they overcome objections with practiced ease? The answer to all these questions is a resounding "No!" By avoiding the sales process they become out of practice. They become stiff. The only way for them to regain fluidity is by getting out and selling again, frequently. If not, they'll never regain their knees.

All of us have to sleep. It is part of what makes us human. But in business, going to sleep on the job leads to becoming stiff. Our abilities become less fluid. This means losing money rather than making it. The lesson: Don't allow yourself to get stiff to begin with! Find your knees and keep using them.

This applies to just about everything in life. The more we do something -within reason- the more we are able to do whatever it is with greater ease. The more we avoid something, the more our skills erode and the stiffer we become.

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