A bunch of old guys would sit around playing chess in the park all day. One day a new guy showed up. He was a salesman. He was pretty wrinkled and had white hair and got in a game with one of the old guys. After looking at the salesman for a while, the old guy said, "You know, I just noticed. You're not wearing glasses, you got your real teeth, you have no hearing aid and you're in pretty good shape."
The salesman said, "Thanks for noticing. I'm in sales and making 70 calls each day is very tasking. Making my number every quarter, now that's stressful. I have to workout and stay in shape just to hang in there."
"Really? Just how old are you?" asked the old man.
"Twenty-four," replied the salesman.
Moral of the story. Sales isn't a game, but having a strategy does help. Every quarter you need to carefully adjust how much energy you're going to put in to maximize your return in terms of revenue. Work too many hours without setting time aside for exercise and your body will eventually give out on you. You will age prematurely. You will get sick a lot. Spending too much time obseessing all of your mental faculties on the job, will make you a rather boring person and could lead to burnout. So remember to take those mental breaks as well. You don't have to turn your brain off completely, just do something intellectually stimulating not directly related to your job. Read a book, learn a foreign language, plan a trip and take some time to study the history and geography of the local region before your visit. I understand that playing chess regularly can increase your ability to think laterally, aid in your ability to do contingency planning and chess even helps lower your blood pressure. Checkmate.
When it comes to your sales career, your health and overall well-being, make sure that you are makiing all the right moves.
