A trained behavior is simply one that has been ingrained in you through repetition. Pavlov’s dog was given a treat every time the bell rang so he learned to salivate with anticipation at the sound of a chime. It became an automatic reaction.

Look at a flea circus. These tiny insects spend their short lives jumping up and down. That’s all they do! If you want to train a flea, start by putting it in a box with a lid. The flea will keep jumping up and hitting the inside of the lid. After enough tries (and whacks on the head), it learns to lower its leap height so as not to strike the insurmountable obstacle. Then, once this flea has been trained, the cover is removed and the flea will continue to jump only as high as it has become accustomed to leap, in spite of the fact that there are no longer any boundaries.

I see many people who act like a trained flea. They have become conditioned by failures to overcome obstacles so they lower their expectations. With this defeatist mindset, you cannot reach your full potential.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."

What has restricted your upward momentum? Take a look at the setbacks that have prevented you from achieving the success you desire. Go back and make the effort to overcome them. Jump higher. Use your determination to knock the lid off the box. Be a flea-flicker.

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training, Personal Development

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, failure, flea circus, goal setting, new home sales management, New Home Sales Training, success, trained flea