Karma takes care of the rest

“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough people get what they want.” Zig Ziglar

A quote that is many millennial older but also captures this same essence is:  "You reap what you sow.”   While both these quotes were coined well before the dawn of the internet and social media, they resonate even stronger today as most everyone (including my Grandma) has become only a Facebook message or #hashtag away.  But to not get off tangent here, I believe both these quotes can be wrapped into one word: karma.

Here's a short story which solidified my belief in Karma.

On a Europe trip before boarding a train in the Netherlands, I was unable to pay the ticket machine in either cash or with credit card because the machine didn't accept cash and my credit card wasn't chipped.  Frustrated; my only option was to board the train without a ticket and hope I could get some assistance once aboard.

Five minutes later on the train before I had solved my dilemma, I was randomly checked by a conductor for the very ticket I did not have.  I explained my situation and he let me go, but only once I promised to pay in full at the next station where I was getting off (The Honor System).  When I got to the next station I chose not to pay the fare in an effort to save myself $35 euro. 

A week later in Paris I was able to purchase a ticket, went through the scanner then threw the ticket away.   About five minutes later I was randomly asked by a conductor to show my ticket…. the same ticket I’d thrown away.  The French conductor was not as trusting as the Dutch one had been and she fined me $35 euro.  So in the end, I netted out equal, and learned that  Karma truly exists.  

So, in your job what does this mean?   Do you give a customer the specifications on a project you nurtured with them from the ground up and trust them not to take these specifications to another company in an attempt to get a lower price?  Most people may waffle when it comes to answering this question but my answer is to trust in Karma and that in the end it will all work out.  If people are going to go behind your back, they most certainly will and there is nothing you can do about it.   If you're always concerned about being back stabbed, watching your back will become a full time job and you will be the real loser.  

In order for any sale ever to be made, somebody, either the prospect or the sales person has to take a leap of faith.  My master plan is for me to be the first person to take this leap of faith.

So of course there are a couple disclaimers here.

1) Don’t be naive, take any leap cautiously and trust your gut however don't be afraid to take the leap first. 

2) Make sure you can actually leap far enough to cross the chasm otherwise you will fall every time.

In closing, be proud to take a leap even if it means losing a deal, fall softly when you fall which you certainly will, and be the first one to jump.  Karma will take care of the rest.