I’m Not in Sales ( Min Read) | Vol. 180

December 05, 2025

“You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.” – Andrew Murphy

I’m Not in Sales

Most of my adult life, I’ve told people, “I’m not good at sales.” That’s not actually true. While I’m not confident or comfortable with sales, that’s not the same thing. 

The challenge is that while I’m telling this to other people, I’m also saying it to myself. 

Last week, I thought about the Memphis Americans. One of those memories your brain randomly serves up. Like a waiter dropping an unexpected dessert on your table. “It’s on the house!” 

The Americans were a professional indoor soccer team that arrived in my hometown in 1981. They weren’t very good and only lasted three years. But they had some stars – Tony Carbognani, who’d played with Pelé on the NY Cosmos, Helmut Dudek with his thunderous left foot, and Stan “The Magician” Stamenkovic. 

I was twelve, and my dad got me a job selling programs. Each game, we’d assemble before doors opened to get a box of programs and an apron with cash to make change. I can’t remember how much the programs cost. I do remember I made a quarter per sale. Every kid got a box of 55 programs, and when we were done, we could watch the game for free. It was a race to pocket $14 and catch the game. Fourteen bucks may not sound like much, but that’s roughly $50 today. 

I would race through the concourses to the most trafficked entrance and set up shop. My mark was any couple. I’d suggest their date might enjoy a program. Older couples thought this was cute. First dates probably felt trapped. I almost always sold out of programs first. Sometimes, I’d get other kids’ leftovers or I’d just buy some candy and watch the game. 

Turns out, I can sell. 

In high school, I went door to door with my lawn service. I waited tables through college and earned enough to pay my rent and for my 1985 Honda hatchback. I was a bookseller too. Today, I identify as an author, but I’ve helped sell close to 7 million copies of our books. 

That Memphis Americans memory arrived when I needed it. I’d been telling myself a fiction that kept me boxed in.  I have big goals for 2026. I want people to read our books, take our courses, and join our coaching—because they transform lives. And I’ll have to sell them to make the impact I know is possible. 

One question to ponder in your thinking time: What limiting story are you telling yourself that no longer serves you?

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan
Co-author of The ONE Thing, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent & author of The Rookie Real Estate Agent