My very first sales job involved making 100 cold calls a day from a random list of leads. No mobile, no computer, no script, and no real strategy - just a printed list of potential clients and a phone.

I was the only salesperson. The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The boss sat right behind me, which I found intimidating. Other senior people sat close by doing their jobs.

I felt so self-conscious and was very close to quitting, but I thought if I can get thought this - and prove to myself that I can - then I could do pretty much anything.

And so I did. I got my head down and smashed the phone day in day out. I had a lot of fun with it - people in the office would smile and my boss would laugh at some of the cheeky one liners I would use to get the right person on the phone.

Talk about being thrown in at the deep end and having to think on your feet. But it made me the person I am today so I’m thankful I pushed myself through this.

Sometimes the toughest challenges are the very things you should force yourself to do.