The Roman poet, Ovid, was on to something really important for us modern business people when he said, “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

A recent tip about the power of mindsets, along with recent discussions in a workshop I was leading about how we sometimes get stuck with thorny problems because we’re stuck in how we’re thinking about those problems, reminded me of a favorite story in The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook.

I recently dug up content that I had created for a webinar in 2012. The topic was taking the “sell” out of selling. It was fun to discover some good stuff in there (said humbly) about how different mindsets lead to different actions—stuff I haven’t articulated the same way since. As always, the lessons apply whether you’re selling services or ideas.

We all know it’s important to be willing to tell clients what they need to hear, even when that may not be what they want to hear. I’ve written before about how to deliver difficult messages so that the communication is positive, productive, and trust-building. Today I want to talk about the ways we humans cleverly talk ourselves out of having these tough conversations in the first place.