Everyone Needs a Little Inspiration Now and Then

I recommend the article "Slumping at Work? What would Jack Do"  by Sue Shellenbarger  in WSJ Personal Journal section today.  It's about working executives who overcame personal performance shortcomings at their workplace by using the experiences of professional sports figures as guides to break out of their perceived "slump."

Jack of course refers to golfer Jack Nicklaus who visualizes himself making great shots as a tactic to overcome slump inducing anxiety.

Slumps are mainly caused by fear.  Fear can often be a mighty motivator but also can be a powerful paralyzer.  Fear of repeating mistakes can lead to a loss of confidence which leads to over thinking the next move which, well, just keeps building on doubt and fear,  leading your performance down a rat hole.

Good news: the execs in this article used sports legends and their techniques for breaking-out of acknowledged slumps as their inspiration.  These techniques also work for bloggers and other writers/artists who may be experiencing a creative block.

The most powerful techniques for overcoming self doubt are actually quite simple: Remind yourself of past successes, engage in positive self-talk, visualize your success, keep the company of encouraging people, focus on your original purpose and your key personal strengths.

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I suspect there may also be a wider general application of these techniques to inspire greatness from those of us who are unwittingly forced by lethargy and gluttony to attain a state of  XXL obesity. Some experimentation would seem to be in order. 

1. Visualize your Success.  I decided to visualize myself as a thin person. I looked in the imaginary mirror and saw an L, with sagging neck skin and deep wrinkles, sad eyes and the haunted look of starvation.  I flicked imaginary flies from my drawn lips.   Ok....That didn't quite work....I decided to try something else.

2.  Surround yourself with encouraging people.  I went to the local pub where everyone knows my name.  They seemed glad to see me.  I declined the proffered dish of popcorn.  "No thanks, I'm cutting back on between meal snacks,"  I declared.  "Good for you, " the barmaid murmured with her Irishly ironic lilt.  Was she rolling her eyes as she poured my IPA?  No! banish that thought of self doubt!   As I sipped my pint, my gaze fell upon the mirror behind the bar.  Peering back was an aging XXL pink faced white haired guy.  That guy needs to work-out more, I thought.

3. Positive Self Talk.  After a few pints, I paid the tab, waved goodbye to my fans, lurched off the bar stool. On the way out, I ducked into the Gents for a quick pre-traffic whiz.  After washing my hands, I stood in front of the mirror, smoothed my hair and smiled warmly.  "You look fabulous." I said loudly pointing to the mirror.  Someone in one of the stalls called back "Thanks Mate, doing me best." I beat it out of there before someone recognized me.

On the way home, I tried to remember what my original purpose was and whether I could focus on my  personal strengths.  The thinking made me hungry, so I stopped at Mickee Dee's for a quick double cheeseburger and fries.  "You want large or small fries?" said the muffled voice in the drive-thru
speaker.  "Make it small," I replied, "I'm cutting back on..um..calories."