Your sense of autonomy includes your sense of what you can and cannot control in your life, and your personal accountability for the decisions you make and actions you take.
Your sense of autonomy is one of the three innate drives that develop your sense of self-determination, which is key to tapping into and releasing your internal or intrinsic motivation (the other two being your sense of competence and your sense of relatedness).
Autonomy Is Not About Working Alone
Your sense of autonomy is not about how comfortable you are with being alone.
While understanding that we cannot control all that happens in our lives, to have a sense of our own autonomy means believing we have at least some control over our lives and, most importantly, that we have control over our own behaviour.
In a sales role, this means being clear and confident that you are following a sales process that you can depend on.
It is also about being confident that your sales process is one that is aligned with the way buyers want to buy.
A Sales Process You Can Rely On
One proven sales process forms the acronym BASICS.
Each letter represents a step in a proven and evidence-based sales and customer engagement process.
The steps are: Build rapport; Ask questions; Show value; Identify obstacles; Confirm next steps; and Stay in touch.
Activity
Now this might seem a strange activity to do, and it certainly has nothing to do with your sales role, however, this week, to reinforce your sense of autonomy and that you are in control of your choices and decisions, make some choices that are different to what you might normally choose.
An example might be to choose to cook something that you wouldn’t normally cook, or to take a route to work that you wouldn’t normally take.
As you make different but deliberate and intentional choices this week, notice how you feel at the point of making the decision or taking the action. Typically, you will feel more positive about life, more in control of your life, and more motivated to make more intentional and deliberate decisions.
25 Contributing Elements to Living a Good Life
This topic of Autonomy is just one of 25 contributing elements to living a good life that I write about in my book LIVING in the Light of Day.
If you haven’t got your copy yet (in hardcover, paperback, kindle/ebook or audiobook versions), you can Buy It Here.