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I listened to this podcast where they were trying to figure out why some car salesmen sell 2x or 3x the cars of the next best guy on the lot. They found a patte
by zwieback 9y ago
I listened to this podcast where they were trying to figure out why some car salesmen sell 2x or 3x the cars of the next best guy on the lot. They found a pattern where the best performers would maybe briefly celebrate a sale and then immediately think "Oh god, I'll never sell another car, gotta get cracking right away." The less successful guys would go back to their buddies and brag, tell stories and go home early.
Insecurity itself isn't necessarily a predictor of failure, it depends on what you turn it into.
- news_to_me 9y agoThat being said, I'd much rather be the less successful guy than the guy constantly afraid of failure. "Productivity" is only as good as it advances your own personal life goals, and I don't think it should come at the expense of mental wellness.
- imustbeevil 9y agoThis is also a form of self selection. If you believe that working hard is not worth what you get from it, you won't do it and someone else will. The less successful guy would also "rather" be himself than the other guy, because he too believes the other guy must be trading his mental health for his productivity. The successful guy doesn't see it that way. He's happy when he sells a car, and he's happier when he sells more cars. He spends his whole day doing his job, maybe even does research at home. He still enjoys his time with his family, has whatever hobbies he invests his free time in (presumably also more successfully than the other guy). He gets to retire earlier, and he knows it, and that gives him more motivation to be successful. It is absolutely tragic that people can have the idea that less success is more happy. Some people feel better working harder and you shouldn't have to attribute some opaque negative consequence to them to feel better about the gap.
- banned1 9y agoThis is super interesting (car sales). I know you have probably a lot of better things to do than answering strangers' questions, but, if you could, would you mind spending 60 seconds trying to find the post and post it here?