(1) “Do no harm” is the millennia old advice the Hippocratic oath provides to medical doctors, but we should all adopt it. When we’re feeling hassled by our rebelling and achy bodies, it is very tempting to tell difficult clients, colleagues, and superiors exactly what your better, healthier nature would censor.
(2) On the other hand, maybe the universe knows what it is doing as it tempts you to blow-away some of those pesky prospects, the ones that cost too much to sell and to service, robbing us of our profits and peace of mind. Maybe, just maybe that sneezy and congested head of yours that feels it is going to explode is emblematic of how you really feel about marginal customers. Perhaps CRM was invented by a flu-bitten soul that simply had it up to here with unprofitable, hassle-a-minute clients. Just possibly, you should erase them from your client list, irrespective of how you feel.
(3) Once, in Braintree, Massachusetts I taught an entire daylong seminar as I battled laryngitis. It wasn’t fun, but my evaluations were surprisingly positive and I felt a tinge of pride that I persevered. Sometimes, hanging in there a while longer than you think your body can stand it is rewarding all around.
(4) I mentioned that I succumbed to my wife’s cold. That’s literally true. It took a week for me to develop the full menu of symptoms, starting with that itchy throat. We’re already compromised by the time we acknowledge we’re sick. Having been at less than 100% effectiveness, it’s easy to believe our sales power was waning before we came down with the cold. And that’s actually a valid perception, but when we’re sick we’re likely to exaggerate the gap between how good we really are, and how we feel we’ve performed, lately. Don’t be too hard on yourself, overly self-critical.
(5) Remind yourself that you will feel better. Illness is a temporary condition. You’ll be back, better and stronger than ever. The minute you believe this, that cold loses its grip on you.