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Yea, I know........I hear you saying "that's easy for you to say".! Well......why don't you just pout about it then? You know, I want to tell you a funny story about a salesperson in a BIG slump. This person I actually trained before she moved on to another job many years ago. You'll like this.

Now, you know what a slump is, right? Don't ya? If you have ever been in outside sales you know what a slump is. But, now, on this wild thing we call the internet, we think we don't have to worry about "slumps" because we're big internet tycoons. Yeah! Right. More like typhoons. A big bag "o" wind.

Well, anyway, this particular salesperson was in presentation with a very wealthy businessman and trying her best to make a 5 million dollar sale. Talk about pressure. And, we sweat over $50 bucks.

Well, this sales lady had given her finest presentation, she had polished it, she had smoothed it, she had rehearsed it till all the rough edges were off, and it was round as a bowling ball. She just knew this sale was in the bag. She had already spent the commission so she had to make this deal fly.

As the presentation rolled on, after an hour and a half, she began feeling that she was not making a connection with this prospect. And, you know that nagging little voice inside your head that says, "Hey dummy" you ain't gonna make the car payment next month? Well, it started talking to her. And, she say's of all the times, right in the middle of my presentation I just yelled out, "oh sh**".

Her prospect, being an elderly sophisticated gentleman and just a little bit hard of hearing says, what? What? She said, in her most humble tone of voice, "oh excuse me sir, but could you direct me to the lady's room". He said, OHHHH! Certainly.

She says to me, with a look of total confidence on her face, like she knew exactly what she was doing and saying all the time, she walked right into that lady's room and took a big load off her mind. She say's and not a second too soon.

After composing herself she remembered what I had told her several years before about laughing. About how good it is for the soul. She thought to herself, that's my medicine.

So being as quite as she could she started laughing.

So really guys, come on now listen, slumps are nothing more than a part of life on and off the internet. I know you've heard it said a thousand times by every hot dog seminar promoter that comes to town with his little bag of tricks that's going to get you making a zillion dollars by the time you complete his program and of course fork out your fourteen hundred dollars.

Here are some easy things that everyone can do to get out of a slump. Everybody wants something easy. Here it is.

• Most Important, Realize that slumps will inevitably come. They are just part of life. They are as dependable as the sun rising and setting.

• Also know that following every slump, will come the days of feasting. Just as certain.

• Next... if your wife happens to lock herself out of the house at 2 am, and she is yelling and screaming at the front door, and your dog is barking like crazy at the back door, DON'T let the dog in first, I don't care if he will shut up once he gets in. That's a BAD move. And not good strategy for getting out of a slump.

• Ok, I put that last paragraph in there to lighten you up a little.

• It is very important to take life's problems with the proper mindset. If you can laugh at a slump, I guarantee you it will end sooner than you think.

• If you are prepared to laugh all the way through it, it won't last very long. If you're not willing to laugh all the way through it, it may take a long time to go through it.

I have proved all these strategies out on myself, even the one about the wife and dog, yeah, really, and I tell you from 20 years of hard knocks what works and what don't. Maybe that's why I'm single today. Hmmm. Only the women really know for sure. :>)

Can you avoid a slump? Not really. But you can laugh your way through it. I promise you if you will force yourself to laugh, your body and mind will get the hint and then your inner emotions will really begin to make you feel like you are in control.

If you really want to know the facts, that's the problem with slumps. We feel like we are not in control. And that is scary. But feelings are fickle. They come and go with the wind. So, feelings that are created by outward circumstances can be changed by laughing yourself silly.

Try it, You'll like it.

Richard Vegas '2002