Grit

Grit, resilience, whatever you want to call it, the ability to pick one's self up after being knocked down is invaluable.

Customers buy when they're ready to, not when you're ready to sell. Your pitch and product could be perfect, but if the timing is off, no dice. The best salespeople know this--it's a numbers game. Every no gets her or him closer to a yes.

This is transferable to life. If the timing isn't right, it won't work. But don't be discouraged--be persistent. Learn from failures, adjust course, and try again.

Life is not an attempt on the balance-beam for gold. It's a baseball career: hundreds of games each season and multiple at bats per game. You can't hit what you don't swing at though. Every time you ask is another opportunity. So don't be embarrassed or discouraged when you miss. Instead, tell yourself you're better for it and dig in.

Then swing away.