With this article, we’re adding still another feature to our blog content. I’ve decided to call it “Midnight Muses” because it will focus on a variety of subject matter which evolves from the innermost recesses of my mind during the most productive time of my day.
I’m a night person. Always have been. We all have a particular time of day when our mind is most productive, most creative, most active. Some people are aware of it, plan around it, and take advantage of that fact. Others are totally unaware and could care less.
My most creative time of the day usually begins just about midnight and can last anywhere from a half hour to three hours. I don’t know why. Don’t care. Never questioned it. Maybe it’s because I know, subconsciously, that I’ll have no interruptions … no phone calls, no drop-ins, no meetings, no disruptions, and few distractions. My best ideas and revelations occur at this time of night, and my office is filled with means to stimulate and/or record my thoughts … pens, pencils, markers, note paper, chalk board, white board, calculator, camera, tape recorder, computer, laptop, telephone (I leave myself messages), television, radio, CDs, DVDs, books and magazines. It’s indeed critical that I record any thoughts that I may evoke within this small window of time as I may very well not recall them the following day.
Sometimes, when I’m facing a particularly tough challenge and I have the luxury of time on my side, I’ll purposely postpone deliberation until the stroke of midnight knowing full well that I’ll have a decisive advantage in reaching a more productive solution. The majority of my most creative ideas were formulated at this magical hour … and many of my worst. I’d like to share a few of those more creative thoughts which may possibly educate, entertain, or even inspire you to take full advantage of your own creative offerings.
Let’s begin by taking a closer look at something you may not have known about yourself.
SURPRISE!
Occasionally in my keynote presentations and seminars, I’ll ask the audience to enlighten me, by a show of hands, as to how many of them are involved with “sales” in their current position within their organization. The results are always the same. I see very few hands slip into the air and those who do acknowledge their relationship with “selling” admittedly reveal that they are part of a department that was created to sell products and/or services.
My point, of course, is simple, quite obvious but, indeed, very crucial. Every hand in the room should be in the air because everyone in the organization is involved with sales in one way or another. That holds true for every organization.
Whether we realize it or not, we’re all “selling” a great deal of the time. It may not be a product or a service, but we’re still selling. Consider how often you’re trying to sell a new idea or concept to your boss, clients, team members, community or family. Don’t we sell our home town or state at one time or another? How about your religion or politics? We’re selling our organization every time we take action or open our mouths. And aren’t you always selling YOURSELF? I’m sure you can think of dozens of other possibilities now that we’re on a roll and have made a bit of a “reframe” on the notion of selling.
When you think about it, we’re even selling when we don’t realize we’re selling. How well we sell all boils down to how well we communicate our message … how well our central idea will “stick” with our targeted audience. Your ability to “close the sale” is critical to your future success.
If you want some excellent guidance in the mastery of making your message “stick,” check out one of our most recent book reviews … Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.
They focus on the art of making ideas unforgettable and share many examples to remind you of those who are doing it well. They’ll provide six key principles to make you a Super-Salesperson when it comes to selling your ideas. This book puts “selling” in a different light altogether. You’ve always been a salesperson … why not be the best you can be and reap the benefits?
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.