We all have slumps. Chris Davis went a miraculous 47-consecutive at-bats without a hit. The Arizona Cardinals haven’t won a championship since 1947. Everyday Americans have slumps in their lives all the time. While the Cardinals may have been a jab at my Arizona friends, all are examples how individuals and teams can have their performance skid. The good thing is, there are three things you can do to help avoid, or climb out of, these slumps!
“When we were driving into the shopping mall—the car park—I would always visualize that the car park space right at the front would be empty for me, waiting for us to pull up! Sometimes I’d get it, sometimes I wouldn’t get it, you know? But when I got it, I celebrated like I’d just won my double-world title!”
Connor McGregor
Recognize the Small Victories
Have you ever done a good job at something, but nobody noticed? How did that make you feel? This is the same feeling we get when we don’t celebrate the little things. Sometimes, the goal just seems so far away, and we get frustrated. Instead of brushing over the steps to get to the final goal, I want you to enjoy the growth! Every time you do something good, new, or powerful, celebrate it! All those little victories lead to us winning the battle!
FEEL the Win
A lot of people will write down their accomplishments. “I have checked three things off of my to-do list today, I am really moving!” Unfortunately, most of those people aren’t getting the full power of that little victory. When we accomplish something, we need to go through the emotions of it. If we can attach that positive emotion to the accomplishment, we will strive to accomplish more! We begin stacking wins like crazy. The next thing you know, it’s lunchtime and most people are just trying to get to the end of the day. I am over here feeling like I am up 14-0! If you are a competitor, you will know how good that feeling is. Spread the word.
Tell the World!
What is a win without others knowing about it? I am not saying to go out and brag. That will do nothing for you in the long run. Instead, share your accomplishments with enthusiasm! If we keep things inside and never tell anyone about what we have done, we are minimizing ourselves. It is vitally important to be humble, but nobody said you couldn’t be proud of what you have done. Even if the ultimate goal is still miles away, it is OK to celebrate like you just won the national championship.
Look for the little victories throughout your day. I promise, the more of them you see and embrace, the better you will feel about yourself. So, in closing, you have two options when your team puts up another mediocre 8-8 season. You can either feel sorry they aren’t in the playoffs (again), or you can celebrate eight times like they won the Super Bowl!