Sunday, February 7, 2010

Pray vs. Prey

A friend-turned-entrepreneur who recently started an energy venture, inquired with me about a potential job opportunity as a sales executive. I reminded him that although I eat, breathe, and live marketing, it’s not nearly the same as selling. “Trust me – you can do it,” was his simple argument. So I contemplated wiping the dust off of my good old Sales Management textbook, but decided against it as soon as a saying from a former sales colleague came to mind: “We sell dreams… everything else is monkeys and typewriters.”

OK – so maybe the art of selling isn’t as scientific and methodical as it’s made out to be. Maybe it all just boils down to our ancestral days of hunters and farmers. The question was, which one am I? Luckily, the answer came easily when I took one look at the game plan I had set out for achieving one of my new year’s resolutions (see #2 below).

Allow me to digress for a paragraph (or two) before I continue further: “Once bitten, twice shy” never made it to my list of personal mottos, because quite frankly, I’m really not that shy (or careful). One thing I’ve learned about myself in the past three years is that when I know what I want, I go after it. And by “want,” I don’t mean a limited edition of a Kate Spade handbag. No no. I’m talking about the kind of want that’s all consuming, overpowering, and so-close-you-could-touch-it-with-3D-glasses. Historically, I’ve only felt this way when it came to a couple of men in my so-called love life. I didn’t have the patience for games, and I certainly wasn’t shy in expressing my feelings. Call me aggressive or stupid, but it worked… while it lasted. So this year, I’ve applied the transitive property to focus my energy on a “that” rather than a “him.” That being Cosmopolitan, of course.

If you are one of the 20 odd people I’ve spoken to in the past month, then by now you are probably sick of hearing me talk about Cosmo. You have probably also realized:
- I am pretty damn creative
- I’m very resourceful
- I really am enthused about this
If I didn’t care for the guy to make the first move, then why in the world was I waiting for fate to come knocking on my door? It’s not as if God was going to hand-deliver my prayers to the editor-in-chief’s office – “Yo Kate, I got a special delivery here for you.” That’s when I decided to turn my praying into preying.

This brings me back to my original point: I am a hunter. I finally stopped pressing the snooze button on my procrastination clock. Everyone’s a dreamer, but if you keep your eyes closed forever, you’ll never see your dreams come to life. So wake up and pounce.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are a dreamer and a gatherer. Def not a hunter mam because you are way too emotional. Hunters take emotion out of the equation. Develop some maturity because you seem way too unstable and unsure as to your priorities.

Indy said...

Sheesh, the person above is harsh! There are several tiers to being a "hunter" just because by strict definition she doesn't fall into the "hunter" style doesn't mean she isn't a hunter. Women are emotional creatures but there are many examples now and in history where they have become the hunter. I think the fact that you acknowledge what exactly you want and are going to get it is great and def hunter quality!

Jeeves said...

Anonymous is a douche...that's my constructive criticism