This is gonna get buried but whatever. At age 40, moved cross country. Job transferred me but had no local connections, and in a sales role. Panic creeps in almost immediately. "Worst decision of my professional career," I tell myself. Cold calling was the backbone of my day while getting started in a new territory, and I knew the panic was coming across on the phone. That's the kiss of death in sales. I'm in a downward spiral.

Had to regroup. I knew the only way to make it was going to be to manufacture confidence, because I don't have even one ounce of it in my body. Like they say in the jazz world, fake it till you make it. I let 'future me' start making calls. I won't lie: hard as fuck at first. Mentally draining. Have to stop between every few calls and regroup. Pull it together, focus, pound the phone.

But then... it gets easier. And things start to click. People are responding to 'future me'. It is working. Don't really have to regroup between calls. Don't have to 'get into the zone' as much. Success builds confidence and optimism and more success.

Fast forward 4-5 months. Literally can not tell where I stop and 'future me' begins. We have merged. Every day brings new success and new reason for optimism. Panic subsides. Too busy to stop and dwell on the past. First full year on the job, I hit President's Club for top 10% in the company. I am Future Me.

Do it. It works.