Feeling good about what you are doing is not an either / or outcome. Many salespeople ask whether it's possible to be successful and content at the same time. The reality is that being content is about finding the right balance between meaning and enjoyment. What's the difference? For example, you might enjoy lounging on the beach all day, but you probably won't find it very meaningful. On the other hand, you could do the research necessary to close a deal which might be meaningful, but not necessarily enjoyable.

"When we work for the right reasons, that's when we're most successful."

That's why successful salespeople devote their full attention to helping their customers improve their own business, rather than trying to push their products. Usually goals are perceived as end-states. Successful salespeople on the other hand view them as a means to an end, rather than the end in itself.

Learning to be content means that you enjoy the journey on your way toward a destination that you deem valuable. Contentment is not about making it to the peak of the mountain, nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; it’s the experience of climbing toward the peak.

The one reality about selling today is that we have less time to achieve those hard fought targets. The outcome is that we don't notice a beautiful day, because we're moving too fast. We need help to keep up with that pace. The best advice you can get is to slow down and appreciate what you already have.

Of course that’s easy to say. After all your sales manager isn’t sitting on my back and pushing me to get sales. So, here’s what you can start doing for yourself…

Keep a journal to help focus on the positive elements of your life.
Do a regular 30-minute workout either in a gym or at home to get your blood circulating and your mind into gear
Find at least one thing to smile at each day, even if you have to read a comic book to do it
Take a quality lunch break by not discussing business

And if you think you don't have enough time to have a work-out or to break for lunch ask yourself if you brushed your teeth in the morning? Did you take a shower? Did you shave? Did you put your make-up on or do your hair? Of course you did, because you made these a priority. Your mental health is no less important than your personal hygiene.

Remember, if you are really stressed by the pressures of the day, don’t blame your company or sales manager. Stressed out salespeople have a sense of entitlement. They feel they have a right to complain. And they do. But the real complaint should be about not caring for themselves, rather than about work pressure.