Sharing on Cultivation During my Sales-work at the Epoch Times

Respected Master, fellow practitioners,

Today I’d like to share some cultivation experience encountered during my work at the Epoch Times. In the process of working at the paper, especially since I started sales work, I’ve had some fundamental changes. Those changes come from studying the Fa diligently. I felt my xinxing expanding bigger and wider while studying, and I can take on more and more. As long as I study the Fa diligently, it won’t be hard to let go of the notions and human attachment. I’ve benefited a lot from listening to other practitioners’ sharing and reminding me; learning from other’s valuable experience; joining the local Fa-study group more often. After letting go of self, I found myself gaining even more.

Fundamentally changing the mentality of self-loathing and anguish

I have participated in the Epoch Times’ editing and typesetting work since late 2008. From finding the job difficult at first, to now handling the job with ease, I always felt that I merely just coped with it and let myself do it in a passive way. Although I realised from the point of view of the Fa that it was my responsibility, sometimes I just slogged away at it, and maintained that status quo for many years. I came to realised that I haven’t done well, and was in a state of self-loathing and in anguish; my whole state was rather depressed.

I became involved with the Epoch Times because I saw the chief editor working very hard and I wanted to help and share some of the burden. At that time I was so inefficient working on the Epoch Times, I’d start Friday evening, working though to Sunday midnight and even till later. Then I had to go back to my day job on Monday, which is usually the busiest day of the week. Sometimes I can’t even bend my knees to rest after work. Physical tiredness isn’t a big deal as I understand that the hardship is a good thing, I also realise that Master has arranged the best environment for me. But for a very long period of time, I couldn’t balance well Fa-study, doing the exercises and the Fa rectification projects. I was exhausted all the time. But all I saw as always the part that I haven’t done well at and felt self-loathing and in anguish.

I read some sharing articles in Minghui and learnt that some practitioners are very diligent; they sleep 3 hours every day, but persist in studying the Fa and doing the exercise; they have less interference, they always look at things with righteous thoughts. I was moved and thought: why I can’t do it? why is the gap between those practitioners and me so big? Then I made a decision to do it, but I can’t insist on doing it. Afterwards I came to understand, if I cannot keep up Fa studying, it’s impossible to achieve such diligent cultivation state physically.

What made me realise I’ve been negative was some training at the the Epoch Times Head office training on sales which inspired me. Through several trainings sessions, I found that all successful people think positively. For example, they never complain, they hold a constant purpose and always look at the positive side. Being relaxed will bring out the potential. I thought, “even ordinary people can do things well; there’s no way that Dafa disciples, who are carrying this tremendous historical mission, can’t do things well.” I decided to change my way of thinking, learn from ordinary people’s way of working, do a good job for the Epoch Times.

Finally I was able to get rid of the habit of self-loathing through Master’s Fa. Master said in “Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”: “I don't like it when you blame yourselves, it's completely pointless.” This sentence hit my brain like thunder. I thought, “I absolutely don’t want to be a disciple that Master doesn’t like.” Suddenly the matter of self-loathing was gone. When I do things I always look to see how much more room I make improvements upon and rise in level. I became more confident and worked on it diligently.

Recognise the importance of sales with increasing confidence to do it well

I took the full-time job as the Epoch Times editor and reporter at the end of 2011; I didn’t get involve with sales immediately as I felt that sales aren’t my responsibility at that time. This March,, I started working on sales. Master said in “Dafa Disciples must Study the Fa”: “This predestined opportunity of tens of millions of years, or even eons, and the long wait we have all been through, as with all that we have borne throughout history—all of it was for today. If at this critical time you fail to do well what you should do, it will be, after things become clear in the future, just unbearably miserable for you and for your beings. So you absolutely mustn’t let down your guard.” I know I must be determined; I have to do it well, as time is running fast which doesn’t allow me to take it slowly.

Having been trained on sales by the headquarters twice a month and exchanged ideas several times with the president, I felt I was affected by a strong positive energy. Soon my willingness on sales-work grew stronger and stronger, but it wasn’t all plain-sailing in practice.

My initial task was simply to make appointments through making calls. I still remember my first day of making calls, I had no experience, and I only prepared a few sentences on the Epoch Times introduction. After several phone calls I made two appointments. When I paid more attention to the presentation content and fluency, the effect was greatly reduced. After repeatedly been refused many times, I was depressed and felt it was so hard.

Later another person joined me who had no experience on sales. Both of us had gone through a difficult period. After a meeting in June, the new colleague suddenly said to me, “let’s go out to find clients” I was very surprised, “I don’t know much about it, and also I’m not pre-pared, I don’t how to do it.” Forced by the urgency of the situation, we had to take action now. Master said in “Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”: “As long as you come into contact with someone, you are doing something to save him—including when you solicit advertisements. Which side a person stands on, and whether he will make it—these are all things placed along the way as Dafa disciples go about interfacing with ordinary people in various capacities, and you shouldn’t attach too much importance to those activities in and of themselves. The bigger you perceive the challenges to be, the harder things will be to carry out, since “the appearance stems from the mind.” And so the task will become increasingly burdensome.” At that time my only thought was that I believe sales work is a good opportunity to contact ordinary society widely; I believe as long as we do and make efforts, it’ll be productive; I believe omnipotent master has arranged everything - it only need us to take action.

We started visiting potential clients in Diamond Street. There’re so many stores, we started from the small shops to practice while we learn the market. At that time we weren’t confident to go into those big shops. A shop owner didn’t pay attention to us while we were talking, he always say hello to his friends who pass his shop, and he even started a conversation with someone. They spoke in Hebrew, we didn’t understand, but we knew he was talking about us to this person. Later we found out this person is the shop owner’s brother, his business is even bigger, and he has two shops. Afterwards he led us to his shop, and he was very warm. At the beginning we weren’t familiar with the procedure of selling, more often we asked about him. Although we didn’t talk much about advertising in the first time, my partner had a strong feeling that he will do business with us. On the third time of visiting, we signed the first contract with him with the help of the sales manager. Now every week we visit there, and many managers there recognise us.

We encountered a new problem, without any experience, we don’t know how to deal with cli-ents. Once we were about to enter a shop, a shop owner from opposite the street waved to us, then we came over to him. He greeted us like an old friend; we were perplexed as we’ve never talked to him before; how could he know we are from a Chinese media? We talked a lot about the service we can provide; unexpectedly he refused everything, because he doesn’t want to be a client of Chinese people. We were so confused, if he doesn’t like Chinese, why would he have called us in so warmly. Five minutes later we came to a shop which is a client of the Epoch Times. The manager said, “I just received a call from a shop manager, he said there are two girls from Chinese media asking me to advertise in their newspaper. He asked for my ad-vice.” We were laughing in our heart. Actually he didn’t want to refuse us. Both of us haven’t experienced such a thing, that one says one thing, and then does another. We gained the experience, and will keep contact with him later.

During this time, I’ve felt several times master’s encouragement and compassionate care; dropping a sudden appointment from heaven when we have been refused for many times. Once having walked whole day, we were rather depressed, as we haven’t met a single person in charge, a diamond shop owner saw us and called us to his shop, said immediately, tell me how much, I want to have it done now.

Once visiting restaurants, at the end of the day it was fruitless; either we’ve been refused or we were not able to meet the managers. At 4:30pm, we were about to finish visiting and go back to do other things. When we were near the bus station we received a phone call that said the manager will be back at 6pm, asking if we could come back. At that moment we all felt strongly that’s Master wanting to get us some confidence. Energy restored, later the conversation went well with that manager, and we signed a contract on the following day.

During this process, not only did I become more and more confident in sales, but also in-creased in confidence in our team. At the beginning, as all of us had no experience, the morale of the whole team was rather low, and we blamed each other for a while. Through continuously diligent Fa study, sharing with fellow practitioners, learning the training course of ordinary people recommended by the headquarters, requesting myself to be an obedient member staff, I felt during that time I was absorbing the positive energy like a sponge. I got busier and busier, but treasured Fa studying even more among busy times; I enlightened to more meanings from the Fa, and felt stronger energy. Sometimes I had pain everywhere after a day making visits, but inside I was very calm and alert. After two hours Fa studying my body became light and relaxed.

Eliminate the differences, cooperate better

During these years of being the editor of Epoch Times, deep inside I was discontented with the chief editor practitioner. When there were conflicts, my discontentment would surface。It seems by chance I took over the Epoch Times’ local news section editing work. Because the chief editor was busy with other things, I started doing more and more work, to extent that for a long period she did very little, and haven’t clearly explained this job. One day I suddenly realised that all of this are arranged by master, whether practitioners did well on the surface or did badly, if my heart is moved, this is a good reason for me to raise level, it’s Master wanting me to cultivate.

Since I hadn’t communicated with this practitioner for a long time, we lost the trust in each other, and caused several problems on reporting, even a very important report didn’t come out. She worked very hard too. Once she needed my help, I didn’t help as I thought she doesn’t need much help -- i though to myself: “she hasn’t got much task to do at that moment.” But actually it was urgent, she was really upset with me, and she almost cried. Later on she told me what specific things she was doing at that time, and then I started looking in-ward. I found the reason I created these differences was because I was attached to this idea that she still hadn’t cultivated away some negative surface element, I felt she had a huge ego, and never sought to look within, and thus I felt she was always creating the same tribulations for me, yet actually my own attachments grew and grew.

Thinking back over the path I’ve walked these last years, without these fellow practitioners help, I wouldn’t have been able to play a role in Fa rectification projects, after all I had given up cultivation for 8 years before. In fact, it’s also arranged by Master, in order to let me, a disciple who fell behind for many years, to become mature again as soon as possible. I rarely cry, but I was moved to tears because she was really sincere to me. Apart from my appreciation to fellow practitioners, how can I complain about them? When I think about this, I’m also forever grateful for Master’s infinite grace and tender compassion. Master does not give up on a single disciple, he arranged these veteran disciples to help me, to permit me to speedily walk the path of return, to take the responsibility of the Fa rectification period Dafa disciples.

I read Master’s “Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting” again: “This problem has persisted for a long time now. If you can find a way to cooperate well, to be of one mind, and apply all your strength together in one direction, then, with the abilities you have, you will really be an unstoppable force. So what I’m wondering is, do we have to wait until you’ve cultivated better before you get close to that and increase your [collective] strength? Only if you can manage to do this while things are the most difficult will your situation change fast and will you do a good job with what you are supposed to do. But time waits for no one, nor do circumstances. Whatever the case, Dafa disciples now must cooperate together well. The situation that you are faced with requires that you cooperate well, for only by cooperating well can you fulfil your pledges well and make this newspaper more powerful.”

I said to myself, “what is so difficult in letting go of notions and opinions towards fellow practitioner?! If I don’t eliminate the differences between us this time, doesn’t it make the old force happy, and make Master sad!” When I was determined to eliminate the differences between us, I found she changed; she coordinated things on her own initiative to help me share the work. When we saw each other again, I can feel clearly that the differences between us have disappeared.

Above is my cultivation experience working in the Epoch Times these last years. For many years I’ve been absorbing so much positive energy from fellow practitioners’ sharing,. Please kindly point it out if there’s anything inappropriate.

Thank you, master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!