pumping up. It gives you a boost, but you don’t internalize things. You have to come back for another injection. The cognitive therapy techniques involved in learning optimistic explanatory styles repre- sent a new set of skills. They stay with you all the time.
SP: Dan Oran, the president of your sales selection and training company, Foresight Inc., said that positive thinking is statement based, while cognitive therapy is question based. Dr. Seligman: That’s a fair assess- ment. There has been a lot of research to document the effective- ness of cognitive therapy. For instance, in the treatment of depres- sion, medication works about 70 to 80 percent of the time. It works pretty well as long as you keep taking it. Once you are off, you run as much risk of relapse as if you never had it. You are going to get depressed again. Cognitive therapy has about the same effect in reliev- ing depression, but, once you learn the techniques, you acquire a skill for dealing with failure, defeat, and mistakes that you will always carry with you. So, when you get defeated again, you don’t have to run off to a doctor to get pumped up again. The basic question you need to ask yourself is, do I want a temporary or a permanent solution?
SP: Your research shows that our expectations determine our level of success. What contributes to the development of our expectations? Dr. Seligman: I think there are two basic constraints on our expecta- tions. The main one is reality – and reality can be either pretty grim or pretty bright. Then, on top of that, we’ve got our explanatory style. In other words, the way we explain an event from the inside determines our expectations. Reality is what constrains us from the outside.
SP: You are a scientist and you measure things a little bit more care-
fully than the average person. What is your measure of success? Dr. Seligman: For me there are two kinds of successes that really matter. One is the “changing the world” success; the other is finding gratify-
SELLING TIP
Who’s the Master of Your Time? Quotas to meet, deadlines to keep, order forms to fill out – not enough hours in the day? The following guidelines can help put time to work for you for a more productive day and, ironically, more available time! Step 1. Realize that time man- agement requires the discipline of self-management. Recognize your time-wasting habits and replace them with time-saving ones. Do you start the project and drop it to start another? Do you make too many personal calls? Do you stand around and chat with coworkers? Are your morn- ing coffee breaks stretching into the lunch hour? Do you get too bogged down reading useless correspondence? Do you start winding down at 4 or 4:30? Step 2. Set aside a period of each day to plan and schedule your time. Many people find morn- ings best for thinking, reflecting, and planning. Choose the time of day that works best for you. Step 3. Set realistic objec- tives when scheduling your time. Decide what you want to accom- plish during the following day, week, or month. These objectives should be realistic, measurable, and attainable. Set deadlines for each objective. Step 4. Write down your objec- tives in order of priority. Choose a planner that best suits your needs – whether it is a small desk or a large wall calendar. Don’t forget
to allow time for unexpected pro- fessional or personal events. Life never follows an exact schedule. Step 5. Learn to do more than one thing at a time. Use the time spent waiting in the lobby in a more productive way. Salespeople spend a lot of time waiting to see prospects or customers. Use this time to jot down a few notes, re- hearse your presentation, or make some telephone calls. When trav- eling by car, listen to motivational cassette tapes. When traveling by train or airplane, do paperwork or catch up on industry reading. Step 6. Schedule time for rec-
reation and diversion. Don’t get so involved in reaching objec- tives that you fail to stop and enjoy a few minutes in non-work- related activities. Set aside one or two days a week and leave the office early – spend the time with your family. Don’t lose the long- range perspective necessary for real success. Step 7. Review your calendar periodically to see how many ob- jectives you have accomplished. If you aren’t accomplishing as many objectives as you would like, can you delegate more of the work, avoid self-initiated distractions, avoid necessary interruptions, and eliminate timewasters? Effective time management can
result in a lightened workload, ca- reer advancement, and an increase in efficiency and productivity.
– SELLING POWER EDITORS SELLING POWER MAY 2017 | 17 © 2017 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
ing successes in everyday life – the small challenges. I have to admit that it appeals to me that you need to be doing something to make the world a better place than the world you entered.
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