Do you love what you do?

"I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball." Pete Rose

Say what you will about Pete Rose, he has many faults and his troubles have kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame. But the man loved to play baseball. Few, if any, have ever loved to play the game as hard as he did. Through good days and bad, good teams and bad, the ups and downs of the seasons must have worn on him. But he always played the same way. Every hit counted. Every ground ball he ran as hard as he could to first base.

Do you play your game the same way?

Taking Chances...

"If he's played in that many games without an error, he isn’t going after the hard ones. The fellow who never makes a mistake is the fellow who never does anything." Tigers Manager Hugh Jennings upon being told a minor-league prospect had played 87 straight errorless games.

So what chances do you take? Go out on a limb? Play it safe? Talk about subjects or ask questions that make you uncomfortable? Do you dive into your customers budgets without fear? Are you afraid to go places in the conversation? Do you not make a call because you don't want to deal with the rejection? Or is it because you are unsure of yourself and what to say, so you don't put yourself out there for any risk?

Remember, if someone is not buying from you, they are not suddenly likely to buy from you if you don't call them. Being silent means being overlooked. Don’t blend into the woodwork of all the other vendors. Take a risk, put yourself out there, say some statement that may cause a sudden reaction, push their buttons, test the waters, try some new different shocking approach if you can’t get anywhere with someone.

You won't know until you try. Do you have the balls?