I’m fond of the quote that says, “Insanity is doing the same things over and over again expecting different results.” If you asked, I bet most sane people would agree that it makes no sense to repeatedly follow a process or business tactic that hasn’t worked, hoping that “this time” it will be different. But isn’t insanity exactly what we see manifesting from the boardroom to the stockroom in companies every single day? If the recent economic meltdown should teach us anything, it is that things must change, especially when it comes to our sales approach. Alan Deutschman might say that we either figure out a way to change or we die.

Time for a little housekeeping.

For lots of reasons, these last couple of weeks I have felt stuck, lacked motivation and felt that maybe my creativity well had run dry. Much as I love business development aka selling, I too sometimes want to stick my head in the sand and avoid it all together. Yes, it happens to me. I’m human. So earlier this week, I decided it was time to shake things loose. What did I do? I cleaned my closet. For bonus energy clearing points, I also organized my dresser drawers. As a result, 3 things happened:

1. I felt better. Like discarding old, outdated ideas and approaches to running a business, I felt liberated letting go of clothes and other items that no longer suit me.

2. It gave me a chance to give back. Though those clothes no longer work me, they might for someone else, so it’s off to Goodwill they go.

3. My energy block disappeared. Poof – just like that! I think that when we hang on too long to things that no longer serve us, everything about us can become stagnant.

Cleaning out the closet is really a metaphor for clearing the energetic clutter that leads to dull thinking, mediocre ideas, boredom, lack of motivation, complacency and more. When you stop everything and take the time to clear out the garbage that is bogging you down, amazing things happen. Within 24 hours of completing my clearing project, two new speaking engagements came my way, I had a terrific lunch meeting with a colleague that led to the kick-off of a completely new kind of Mastermind group, and I was asked by a business leader I admire to team with them on a new project. Does it work? Well, duh.

My challenge to you…

Clean out your closet. Now. Your closet can be your office space at work, file cabinets, computer folders, an overhaul of your sales process or your actual clothes closet at home. It doesn’t really matter. The result will be the same. You’ll feel more refreshed, energized and clear headed.

Are you ready? Are you willing to take on the challenge? If you are then there is only 1 rule you must follow. You cannot do anything else until you are finished. Nothing. No email. No meetings. No phones. Nothing else means you cannot do anything else until you complete the exercise. Once you finish…how about sharing your experience here on my blog. I’d love to hear what magical results you achieved.