Blair Enns’ “Expert’s Mantra” has wider application than just sales

I’m finding that the “Expert’s Mantra” from Blair Enns’ The Four Conversations has wide applications for business and for life. Here’s the mantra: 

I am the expert, I am the prize
I am on a mission to help
I can only do that if you let me lead
I accept that not all will follow

The first line is about self-confidence. Of course, to move through every scenario in life as though you are an expert is foolish. But remembering that you are the expert on your own experience, and you are a prize and you are good to be around, changes how you approach interactions. 

The second line reminds me that I need to have good intentions. It reminds me that I do have good intentions, and to not let my secondary desires for interactions to get in the way of my mission. 

The third line reminds me that agency in important. Many people want to put you in a box. They want you to engage with them in a way that’s beneficial for them, that makes them comfortable. But your mission and prize is only possible if you engage willingly. Certainly, you don’t need to lead every social situation, but you need to remain in control of your own agency. 

I accept that not all will follow. This fourth line is huge. How many of life’s problems come from us living in fear that we won’t be understood? That we’ll be failures? That not all will get you? To have a point of view is to be disliked by some. It is also to be loved by others. You can’t be liked by everyone. Acceptance is key here. 

If sales is a microcosm of life, then we might learn something from magnifying sales mantras like this one.