2012 - The Year of The Foot Soldier

The New Year has arrived. The day's seem new, the week is new and the air is filled with hope, love and desire to create happiness all over again.

Professionals all over the world take this as a great opportunity to shed the layers of frustration and emotional pains that accumulated over the last year, and re-start in a new way.

Every Year, during the last few days of December, I love to read the face, body language, aura and mind-sets of the visiting Pharma Sales Executives. It's really invigorating to see how slowly slowly every single one of them embraces the spirit of New Years. By the last week, they are all full with positive energy and eagerly waiting for 1st January to accept and practice a new outlook at professional, social and personal levels.

The great irony is that by the 2nd week of January, all enthusiasm fizzles out and most of them are back to doing what they do best, Being the Foot Soldier!

This reminds me of an Uncle of mine from the Army. A true poster-boy of the Indian Army, this gentleman is one 6ft, very well built and extremely fit senior level officer, who is not only proud of his ranks but also fully loaded with discipline and attitude. I remember once as young adolescent, he had told me, in true military style "A foot soldiers duty is to obey orders, he doesn't have the right to think"

Years later I found how true it held not only for the army, but also for the specific case of many Medical Reps. who I got to interact with. Drawing a similarity between these two different ends of the social spectrum, I pondered on this statement further, and analyzed what made that one foot soldier or that one MR to stand tall among the crowd and get promoted to Senior Ranks.

While one should enjoy enthusiasm, which in most cases is a momentary emotion that comes and goes on its own. The real focus should be on accepting and adopting the virtue for success.  The virtue of success is composed of 4 attitudes that catapult a foot-soldier to rise:

1. Firm - A firm person is one who is ready to take responsibility.
2. Endurance - "tough times never last, tough people do". Success and Failure will both touch you, don't run away in either conditions.

3. Learn - Every day is a new experience. Be ready to learn. Not just from your experiences, but also from the success and failure of others. The more you learn,  the better your decision making ability.

4. Modest - Accept Success with grace, but don't show it off... being pompous creates enemies.

Make 2012 your year...BEST OF LUCK!!!

Dr.Hemant Mittal
www.mindmantra.in
email - eksoch@gmail.com 

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