Golden Sombrero

reading time:  2 minutes

Most high-performers do this one thing better than others. 

STRIKE OUT.

Yes, they convert a higher number of prospects into clients, but not all of them.  High-performers strike out a lot, and quite possibly more than others in their field due to the amount of opportunities they create.  With a slightly better average, they also end up getting offered more at-bats.

Striking out is as much of a part of business as it is baseball.  Your POWER is found within the strikeout.  Knowing very well that you will hear "No" more often than a "Yes," embracing your loss is important.  In business, you can strike out 50% of the time and still be the best in your field. 

It's OK to lose?  Accept striking out?  YEP!

High-performers in sports and business strike out every day.  It's what happens next that makes them great.  With the right mindset, you can fail and know that you're actually one more step closer to winning. 

Mike Trout may be one of the best baseball players of our time and provides us with some perfect evidence.  On his 25th birthday, while playing against the Seattle Mariners, he struck out 4 times.  I remember watching the video of this game and the remarkable thing was how he walked back to the dugout.  There was no anger or frustration.  There was some deep thought and reflection, but he stayed the course.  What happened next in this game was nothing short of amazing....

With the bases loaded and the game tied, Mike Trout is positioned in center field.  The pitch, the swing, a long drive deep to center........and there's Mike Trout, leaping above the wall, catching the ball, and robbing the hitter of a grand slam.

It would be easy to hang your head after losing a deal, not acquiring a new client that week, or striking out.  But there's no time for that.  So you struck out, you lost.  END OF STORY.  It's not powerful to give any meaning to what just happened.  You only end up getting sucked into a mental tornado, taking you further away from your goal.  If you knew the impact feeling this way had on your brain, body, and future success, you would stop thinking this way now. 

So now what?  The next time you strike out, see it as something that just happened.  When you feel yourself giving meaning to what occurred, STOP.  There is no value in continuing the story.  You struck out.  Move on.....Your next at bat is coming AND you also might just need to rob the competition of a GRAND SLAM.

Peace.