The Victory In The Moment

We all encounter difficult moments throughout the day. Times when our patience is being put to the test. Times when we get not so great news that we need to respond to. Times when we just don’t feel like doing it but we know deep down we should. No one is immune to feeling this way as they all come from very human emotions, but some people have a better way of dealing with it than others.

My friend David Williamson gave me what is perhaps the best way to think about it. He said that in those times when we’re feeling angry, tired, frustrated, disappointed, or unmotivated, we need to ask ourselves “what is the victory in the moment”?

It’s brilliant for a few reasons. One is it disrupts your current state of thinking. Our thoughts are simply the questions we ask ourselves and our answers to them. We do that back and forth as a conversation in our mind. What this does is it causes us to ask a new, different, intentional question. But not only that, it’s a question that guides us to bring to mind a high-quality output.

What this also does is leverages the powerful associations we have with the word “victory”. Our entire lives when we think about victories we think about hard-work, dedication, consistency, triumph over obstacles, and accomplishment. So when we introduce the concept of “victory” into our thoughts it immediately shifts our physiology into a more empowered state. This makes us feel different and kicks off a cascade of more positive feelings, completely shifting your emotions.

Then of course, the most important part, when you ask a question the mind wants to answer it. So from the endless possibilities of how you could relate with the present moment, you start to home in on what is the most ideal, best, championship outcome that could come from it. Just bringing this option into your awareness is so crucial because then you can choose it - Rather than be stuck with the options that you’re tired, frustrated, disappointed self was giving you.

So you don’t feel like working out… What’s the victory in the moment?

You are starting to get defensive in a conversation with someone you love… What’s the victory in the moment?

You catch yourself scrolling on social media and feel like you’re falling behind on the things you wanted to get done today… What’s the victory in the moment?

You put so much private  hard work into a project and now it’s time to share it publicly, but you’re scared to do it… What’s the victory in the moment?

Start using this mantra often throughout the day, especially when you’re aware of how you might not be feeling so good, and allow that awareness to pull your behavior in productive and empowering ways that make you proud.