It was Descartes, the philosopher, who said, "I think, therefore I am." He was arguing that being conscious of that thinking is what proves our existence. Back then people needed to explain how we are able to reason. Now we have a much better idea of how we think, create memories, and make decisions. Yet, we're not that much different from our ancestors. We still process information in the same way, there's just more of it to process.

Recent research has shown that chimpanzees use tools and dogs reason. Those of us who own dogs already knew this. My dog knows the difference between the name stick and the name ball. He knows that balls are globes of varying sizes and sticks are long, round-ish pieces of wood. But, he just doesn't seem to like tall men. It's been like that since he was a puppy. Like my dog, we have an innate ability to categorize information - where to find food and water, dangers to avoid, how to court a mate correctly. That's what makes us so efficient at processing information - we reach the point that we don't need to think about it. And therein lies the danger. Sometimes we should think about it. It's what makes our species unique among the animals.

What would our lives look like if someone hadn't tried using fire as a tool, or using a log as a roller under a heavy object? Caves are OK until you learn about central heat. What do our lives look like when we categorize people, opportunities, and resources arbitrarily? Are we truly seeing the possibilities? By categorizing the information presented to us without first understanding why we have created those categories, we have traded possibility for simplicity. One of the results is prejudice, in this case pre- judging the possibilities without investigating them. When you meet someone, do you think friend or foe, prospect or competitor, rich or poor, intelligent or not? What if you asked the questions that might actually benefit you, that might uncover the possibilities? The possibilities lie in whom they know, what they need, what they have, where they live, where they work, and what they know. That might take a lot of questions.

You can when you think you can.

"Never let them see you sweat." It's not about personal hygiene. It's about confidence. If you don't have faith in your product or service, why would you expect a prospect to? Selling is first and foremost about believing in you. Sometimes the first person you have to convince is you.

Here's an exercise that might help. Before you go on a sales call, face yourself in the mirror and tell yourself, out loud, you are a good communicator, you are a good salesman, you know how to do this and you are good at it. When you can do it without laughing you're making progress. When you have convinced yourself, your harshest critic, you're ready to go. Now, just do it.

Sometimes networking is not about the people at the meeting. I attended the Leadership Breakfast of the United Way of Lake County. I found out about a new website that is designed to meet the needs of people who need services, a searchable listing of available service providers with contact information. Who do you know that provides such a service and would like to be listed? Who do you know that might need such a service and doesn't know where to look? Check it out, and pass it on. Sometimes it's about helping our neighbors.