I started my career in door-to-door sales, and one of the first things we were taught was simple… be presentable and smell good when you meet a customer.

Our days would begin at a small tea stall. A cup of chai, a bunch of us huddled together, many lighting up. Even if you didn’t smoke, the smell of cigarettes stayed on you. So before heading out for sales calls, we’d all reach for a deo and a mouth freshener. It was part of how we prepared for the day.

Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a routine and just stayed with me. My bag, my desk… there was always a steady supply of both. And before every meeting… client discussions, vendor calls, recruitment interviews… I’d use a deo and pop a mouth freshener without even thinking about it.

Then COVID happened, and at Learnnovators, we transitioned to being a 100% remote organisation. These days, almost every meeting I have is online.

And yet… nothing has changed.

Even now, before logging into a meeting from home, I still reach for a deo and pop a mouth freshener.

My wife finds it completely crazy… and quite funny.

She’s probably right.

But for some reason, it makes me feel ready. Like I’ve shown up properly. I know it’s just psychological… but it helps me get into the right frame of mind. And I guess that’s reason enough.

So…

Do you have a ritual that makes no sense… but you still hold on to it?

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📌 Many of the ideas behind tools like this come from the insights in my book The Inner Game of Leadership, where I explore how self-awareness shapes the way we lead. Here are the links to get a copy:

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GJ6W91GM/
Overseas: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GJ6W91GM