Pluck The Fud

By Ben Ward

When growing a garden, what's inevitably going to creep into the garden? Weeds, right! You've got to get in and pluck the weeds or they will destroy what you're trying to grow. The same thing is true with our minds. The most common weeds we all experience are Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt-or FUD. You've got to Pluck the FUD! This book will teach

• Language: English
• Publisher: Results Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781953089083

Book preview

A person wearing a mask Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Chapter 1

Weeds of the Mind

Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds, you can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

—William Wordsworth

There she was, sitting in her favorite bagel shop, at her favorite corner table next to the big bay window. Rae liked this spot because at any moment she could look out and see a new face walking by. How she loved to people-watch. She loved imagining what they were thinking and feeling, or what sort of day they were having. This was usually a nice distraction from the parade of thoughts that ran through her own mind at the beginning of each day.

It’s finally here, thought Rae as she twirled the paper straw in her strawberry banana smoothie. It was the only way she would start the week off. Mondays should be sweet! she would say. A positive reminder to herself and others that starting right is the right way to start. Hi, I’m Rae. The new Division President, she said quietly—hoping that if she practiced enough before arriving at the office, others wouldn’t be able to sense the nerves she felt about taking on her new role.

What was Dan thinking? Why did he think I was ready for this? wondered Rae. She thought about all the amazing things Dan accomplished during his time as Division President. From the awards to the speeches and the successful teams he’d led—Dan was a winner on all fronts and everybody knew it. Especially Rae. Her stomach turned even more. What if I don’t live up to him? she worried. But at that moment, Rae began to smile. She remembered her first day at Champion Solar and the words Dan had shared with her…

At the time, Rae’s husband had just been let go from his job. He’d always been a great provider. It was just a stressful season in their lives and Rae knew she needed to help. Through a fateful meeting with Dan, she found herself in a sales position with Champion Solar. It was an entry-level job, but it paid well if you learned how to sell. She couldn’t have been more nervous. She didn’t know what to expect. Deep down, Rae felt she could do it, but she knew it would be hard and was afraid of failing.

Rae arrived an hour early on her first day and was the first of her team in the conference room. She didn't want to come off as overeager, but she wasn't familiar with the location and certainly didn’t want to be late. With her notebook open and a red pen in hand, Rae was as ready as she would ever be.

Rae! Bright and early, I see! I like it! said Dan, walking in with his famous Dan smile.

Yep, you know it, replied Rae nervously.

How about it? Are you excited for your first day? asked Dan.

Of course! I mean, excited and nervous. But who wouldn’t be? She grinned, hoping it would hide some of her nerves.

Ha, nervous? That’s a good thing! It means you want to give it your all! Dan replied as he began to set up for the Monday morning meeting. Mind weeds, he said softly. Still, Rae heard this. Mind weeds? she thought to herself. What in the world is he talking about? Seeing the look of confusion on her face, Dan couldn't help but grin.

Oh, sorry, I guess I said that out loud, he said, smiling warmly at Rae. I know, this may sound kind of strange, but I’ve found that ‘weeds of the mind’ are the biggest blockers to any potential success in life. No one is exempt, and this is definitely true in sales.

He put down the stack of papers he was passing around the conference room table and walked to the dry erase board. Taking out a blue marker, Dan began writing. Rae felt a sense of excitement come over her. She didn’t know where he was going with this, but she could feel him coming alive.

Rae, let me show you something I think you’ll appreciate as you get started with us. You might want to take a couple of notes, and I see you are ready with your notebook and pen, Dan said while looking at his watch to make sure he had enough time. Rae quickly made her way over to the front of the room to get a seat closer to where Dan was standing at the board. As she got closer, it was clear she was in for quite the lesson. Written at the top of the board, in big blue capital letters, were the words PLUCK THE FUD.

Pluck the FUD? Rae chuckled.

Pluck the FUD! replied Dan confidently. Rae, what I’m about to share with you has been a game-changer in my career and my life. It’s helped me change the way I approach everyday fear, uncertainty, and doubt—or FUD! In fact, I’ve found that learning to identify the FUD and pluck it out is the number one competitive advantage in business and life! explained Dan.

Well, if it’s going to help me with my sales, I’m all ears! said Rae with a sense of hope.

I’m confident it will, but you will see—this goes far beyond sales, he emphasized. Rae, let me ask you a question. Have you ever been afraid to do something you really wanted to do, and you weren't sure if you could actually do it? asked Dan curiously.

Rae withdrew into her seat. Her thoughts began to race. Could he see right through me? Can he tell how afraid I am right now to start this new job? I hardly know anything about sales. Was he asking if I thought I could do this? Oh no, I hope he doesn’t think I’m not cut out for this.

Dan noticed Rae’s discomfort. Rae, Dan asked softly, are those ‘first-day nerves’ you mentioned earlier weighing pretty heavily on you?

Rae nodded. Dan seemed like someone she could trust. She told him about her husband losing his job and how badly she needed to succeed. Their son Mckay was going into the first grade, and she desperately wanted him to be able to stay at that school, where he’d made so many friends. She didn’t want to move.

Rae, thank you for being so transparent with me. This will definitely help me to help you. I can already tell you’re going to be incredible at this job. The best salespeople I’ve ever worked with have three things in common: They are humble, they are hungry, and they are smart with people.

He continued. Successful salespeople are humble enough to be real with themselves, and with the people around them, while being coachable and teachable. They can share their shortcomings and struggles without coming across as victims. Hungry to work hard. And being smart with people means having a good sense of how to communicate with others while having high levels of empathy.

As Rae hastily began taking notes, Dan could see her walls coming down; she was ready for what he was going to share.

Rae, when I first started in sales, I had a lot of doubts. In fact, two weeks into my first sales job, I was almost fired. Fired from a straight commission job! Ha! Can you believe it? Dan chuckled.

Rae laughed, unable to imagine anything other than the powerhouse leader who stood before her.

"I was out of money and my parents told me to quit and come home. The FUD was real. I was ready to pack up and leave. In fact, I even remember getting my suitcase out. I went for a long run on the beach before packing up and going home, which I fully intended to do. In all honesty, I had a good cry and then threw myself a pity party during that