Fear’s a hell of a salesman. It knows exactly when to show up, right before you do the thing that matters.
When it comes to asking for the sale, I used to freeze.
Even after years in sales, that knot still showed up right on cue.
It’s that moment when connection turns into commitment and suddenly, the air gets thin.
Then one day I heard someone say: They can’t eat me. They won’t kill me.
I laughed, but it stuck. The next week I tried it out.
I was pitching a client who had ghosted me twice already.
Halfway through our call, I felt that same knot tighten.
I took a slow breath and thought, They can’t eat me. They won’t kill me.
Then I asked for the deal anyway.
He said no. Then called back with a referral that became one of my best clients.
That’s when it clicked: “no” isn’t rejection, it’s direction.
Each one points you toward the next “yes,” and every time you survive it, you build a little more muscle.
Now, when fear shows up, I don’t fight it.
I breathe, think, They can’t eat me. They won’t kill me, and move forward anyway.
That simple act changes everything.
CTRL Lens
Clarity: Fear disguises itself as logic. Seeing through it is step one.
Tenacity: Keep asking, even when your gut tells you to stay safe.
Reinvention: “No” isn’t an ending, it’s a reroute to what’s next.
Legacy: Confidence leaves a mark, hesitation doesn’t.
Your Turn
Before you hit reply, make one ask this week that scares you.
Then tell me what happened. That’s how we pay the lesson forward.
CTRL by JP Bristol
Clarity. Tenacity. Reinvention. Legacy.
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