Growing up as a kid, I suffered with severe anxiety of interacting with anyone outside of my family or social circle. I often had nightmarish visions of being called to the front of the classroom, having to ask for help from a stranger or even approaching the staff inside of the store. This trauma soon became one of the biggest factors in my life and would often prevent me from meeting people and having experiences that I knew I would enjoy. It wasn't until I entered the fast-paced world of sales that I learned the tools to happiness.

Fearless

The biggest obstacle selling cars taught me to overcome is the ability to be fearless. I remember my first day on the job: A manager pulled me to the side, realizing I wasn't a natural salesman, and told me to put on an act. "Even if you're trembling inside, act as if you've done this before. This is nothing to you," he repeated. From that point on, specifically when I felt anxiety and fear of approaching a customer, I would become a performance artist. I was a master salesman. Sure, not everyone purchased a car from me or greeted me with a warm smile, but I didn't care. I could do anything.

Dealing With Rejection

In sales, and almost any career path in life, you will inevitably be rejected. It hurts and it doesn't make you feel good about yourself. Maybe the man or woman of your dreams just rejected you. Perhaps you were turned down for that promotion you thought you would easily attain. What's more alarming, the pain from rejection and heartbreak feels as real as a physical pain in the body. The lesson I learned, through a series of setbacks and failures, is that rejection is part of the process. No one goes from zero to hero with 100% success. There are failures and massive rejections along the way. In car sales, I faced that demon every single day and learned to become fond of it. Getting rejected by one customer meant I was closer to an agreement from another.

Self Development

Great leaders are often some of the people who've devoted time, resources and money to grow themselves on a personal level. My mentor--a multi-millionaire and self-made sales professional--pulled me to the side one day and gave me some of the best advice I'd ever received. He said, "leaders are readers. If you harness the habit of self development, you can achieve anything you want in this world." This always stuck with me. From that point forward I knew that I would devote my time, energy and spare income to developing my personal character.

Intimidation

The biggest way I became happier through car sales is the ability to deal with intimidation. I remember a general manager meeting where I was to contact the biggest salesperson in my city. I still remember her Lipsense lipstick and her ability to make me feel very small and unaccomplished. I approached her with confidence and was soon fascinated by her story. She'd become a multi-millionaire several times over while juggling a family and social life. My initial intimidation towards this woman soon turned into admiration and astonishment.

Sales is the Lifeblood of Success

Whenever I think of the biggest companies on the planet today--Amazon, Google, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.--I realize how critical the sales process is. Even in my car dealership, we only kept he lights on if our team accomplished their goals and hit sales targets. My belief was soon proven to be true when Mark Cuban, a multi-billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, reiterated my belief. "There's never been a business that has succeeded without sales," Mark said in an interview with Inc. Magazine. From that point on, I knew I had the tools and strategies to become successful.