Accentuate the Negative

I'm a glass-is-half-full kind of person, so what I'm about to say seems a tad negative. If you're in a sales rut now and want to dig yourself out, remember what it was like when you were less successful. That's right – picture yourself just starting out as a new distributor rep, making cold call after cold call, facing rejection after rejection. Remember how that felt?

It certainly sounds negative to dwell on past failures, but sometimes it's good to remember where you've been, so you can stay on track to where you're going. Or so says former Dallas Cowboys' quarterback and current Fox sportscaster Troy Aikman, who keynoted ASI Dallas last month.

Though he was a number-one draft pick, Aikman's rookie year as an NFL player wasn't a success. In fact, some would call it a miserable failure. The team won only one of 15 games, and Aikman didn't even play in the winning game. Though the string of early losses left Aikman dejected, they also served him well once his team began to succeed. "I never forgot how hard it is to win," he told the packed audience in Dallas.

Indeed, Aikman told me backstage that there were some players on his team over the years who "took losing a little too easily.

"They didn't seem to care as much as some of us did if we lost," he said. Head coach Jimmy Johnson was "all over those players, making sure they really learned how bad it should feel to lose." By the same token, Aikman said, Coach Johnson would celebrate wins with the team "like each one was the Super Bowl."

The coach's philosophy: "If you can remember how bad it feels to lose, and how good it feels to win, you'll work harder to win every single time." Great lessons from a three-time Super Bowl champ.

If you missed Aikman's inspiring speech, don't fret: We're serving up some great motivational keynotes at the remaining three ASI Shows in 2015. Come and hear fitness expert Jillian Michael's rousing talk at ASI Long Beach on March 26; billionaire Barbara Corcoran's keynote at ASI New York on May 6; and football legend Peyton Manning's talk at ASI Chicago on July 15. Each of these great speakers has a unique perspective that will keep you revved up and on track for your most profitable year ever.

For more information, go to www.asishow.com.