Motivational Moment: Breaking Out of a Slump

Published on August 2, 2007

Athletes and sales executives have one thing in common: They all go through streaks. They have their moments when they are in the zone and can do no wrong. They are full of confidence knowing they are going to “hit a home run” the next time at bat. And then, for some unexplained reason, the hits stop coming and they fall into a rut. The confidence disappears and they wonder if they will ever hit again.

This has happened to every sales executive. The question is how you handle this situation and reverse the slump. The first thing you need to do is to take yourself back to a moment where you were successful. Replay that event in slow motion, be honest with your self, and identify all of the actions you took and the mindset from which you operated. Now compare that picture to what you are currently doing. Often you will see there is at least one difference in your approach. Sometimes, all it takes is one minor tweak to reverse a trend. In most cases you will be to identify the tweak if you allow yourself to revisit those moments in which you owned the world and could do no wrong.

Slumps happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is just bad timing and market fluctuations. While you may not be able to control those situations, you can control your actions. Remember this; if you did it once, you have proven your capabilities in doing the task. All you have to do is keep in game shape and remember that championship form. While slumps may be unavoidable, the severity of the slump and how long you stay in it is for the most part controlled by you. It’s all in the mind.

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