Slumps, times when it doesn’t seem like what you are doing is working, are a real part of life. Everyone goes through them. A slump is nothing more than an extended period of poor performance. A period when you are not seeing the results you desire to see.
Professional athletes periodically go through slumps. Times when regardless of how much effort they put forth nothing seems to go right. Baseball players can’t get a hit. Basketball players can’t hit the jumper they’ve always been able to hit. Golfers can’t sink the all so crucial putts.
Athletes aren’t the only ones that experience slumps. Everyone does. Salesmen go through times when it seems like they can’t close a sale. Managers go through times when it seems they can’t control the details any more. Artists can’t paint. Writers get writer’s block.
The good news is slumps don’t last forever. They will come to an end if you don’t quit trying. There are some things you can do to end a slump when you find yourself in one.
Remember: “This too shall pass!”
While the slump may be real it isn’t final. Keep the faith. You will come out of this. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged. Stay positive. Stay focused on the end result.
Be honest with yourself
Admit it when you are slumping. Denying a slump will not get you out of it. You can’t pretend your way out of a slump. Don’t be so proud that you pretend everything’s alright when it isn’t. You can’t change what you don’t confront. If you are in a slump there is a reason for it. By being honest with yourself, and admitting that you have a problem, you open the door to discovering it’s root and breaking out of it.
Re-evaluate what you are doing
Sometimes the only way out of a slump is to take a long hard look at what you’ve been doing. Ask yourself, what have I changed? What am I doing or not doing that contributes to the slump I am in? When I was playing professional golf I would periodically go through slumps. I would revisit old video’s of me when I was playing well. Then I would have my swing videoed again and compare the two. More often than not I would notice a slight change in my swing from when I was playing well to when I entered a slump. This helped me to make the adjustment I needed to make to get back on track.
Remember past successes
Many times when you are in a slump you are so focused on what isn’t working that you forget what has worked in the past. I have found that it is important to remind yourself of past successes and victories. It is easy to get down on yourself when you are in a slump. This leads to negative thinking which leads to less than desirable results. Instead you need to remember if you have been successful in the past you will be again. Sometimes just rehearsing past victories gives you the courage and strength you need to continue on.
Get back to the fundamentals
In other words, get back to what got you to where you are. Sometimes it’s possible to get sidetracked from the fundamentals. Vince Lombardi used to start training camp, for the Green Bay Packers, by holding up a football and saying “gentlemen this is a football.” By taking his team back to the fundamentals of the game, he was able to teach, train and motivate them to success. Get back to the core values, beliefs, and actions that have worked for you in the past.
Refocus
Many times a slump is the result of losing focus. Go back to your original goals and objectives. Begin to concentrate again on the end result. Ignore the distractions. What you focus on is what you will experience. If your whole focus is on what isn’t working or what is going wrong you will get caught in a downward spiral of continued negative results. By refocusing you attention and efforts on what is really important and what you know works you will be on the road to breaking out of the slump you find yourself in.
Relax
Being uptight about what you are facing takes away your creative juices and saps your energy. Find something to do that is not related to the area you are slumping in. Do something that takes your mind off of the current situation. Take a break. Sometimes just stepping away from your situation gives you a whole new perspective.
Believe the slump will end
Faith is a powerful force. A positive attitude is important to success of any kind. Jesus said, “As your faith is, so be it unto you.” You get what you believe and expect.
Find someone to help you get out of the slump you are in
Get a life coach, hire a consultant, ask your mentor for advice on breaking out of your slump. Learn from the experience of others. Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. Having an objective expert to talk to and bounce your ideas off of is essential to helping you break out of a slump. Because they aren’t the one in the slump they can sometimes see things you are doing or not doing that have contributed to where you find yourself at the present time. They are able to give you objective advice which will allow you to return to what works and in turn will allow you to experience the results you know you are capable of having.
Don’t quit
When the going gets tough and things aren’t working out the way you want them to, it is easy to want to give up or quit. My mother always told me, “Quitters never win and winners never quit.” Giving up is seldom ever the solution. The only way of a slump is to not give up. Persistence gives you the power to prevail over all problems. An acorn becomes a mighty oak by holding its ground and refusing to quit growing regardless of the obstacles it has to overcome. You have the ability to keep on keeping on until the slump you find yourself in is nothing but a bump in the road in your rear view mirror!
