Josh Bowen: In a Funk? Three Ways to “Shoot” Yourself Out of It

It is inevitable, we will all get in a rut. No matter good you are at something or how passionate you are, someday you will find yourself in a hole. A hole that, if not careful, could snowball, and create havoc on your goals, fitness or otherwise. As I discuss in my book 12 Steps to Fitness Freedom you must “ride the waves” in order to be successful in any aspect of life. Challenges will come and how you respond will dictate the end result.

I am reminded of a perfect example for present day, my beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats. Currently we are preparing for the Final Four in Dallas, something that was expected before the season started and anything less would of been considered a failure. However, what happened after the season started and how the regular season ended you would called someone crazy if they thought this would come to fruition.

The Wildcats hit a rut. They were immature, made poor decisions and didn’t play well (that is putting it lightly). They had succumbed to the pressure. Their talent was high but there performance was lackluster. They were in a funk.

After an exhilarating win against LSU, UK dropped their next two games against non-tournament teams including a jaw-dropping loss to SEC bottom feeders South Carolina. To the fans, the season was over. Many gave up on the young Cats. Their on and off funk had taken over their season and it showed.

Miraculously, the team entered SEC tournament play on a mission, prove everyone wrong. After a few “tweaks” the Cats blitzed their first two opponents and nearly knocked off the best team in the country, Florida. A month later and four big time victories later the Wildcats have gone wild and “shot” themselves out of their funk and are two games away from a National Championship, the school’s ninth. How did it happen? How did they get out of their funk?

If you are in a funk, in any part of life here are three steps to “shooting” your way out of it:

1. Simplify don’t complicate

Life is easier when you isolate a situation and simplify it versus throwing your hands up and over complicating it by letting your frustrations impact your decisions. Every situations has it’s own set of legs, do not let one frustration creep into other aspects of your life. Had the Cats let their turnover issues creep into their passing, the season would of been a loss. Thankful, with help, they isolated their problems and improved collectively.

2. Keep going

The old saying goes, “if you are going through hell, keep going” applies here. It is easy to quit, it’s easy to let your funk get the best of you but you must keep going. Miss a day at the gym? Go back tomorrow. Slip up on your nutrition today? Eat better tomorrow. Life not go the way you planned? Keep pushing and never look back.

3. Be consistent

If the shots are not falling, keep shooting until they start dropping. Consistency during a rut is key because your first reaction is to change something and sometimes drastically. Changes maybe necessary but you must evaluate each individually and game plan for what needs to change. UK is who they are, they haven’t changed. They have just changed their perception and the way they approach the game. It has worked.

Nothing is perfect and nothing will go as planned. How we react to failure and frustration dictates our success pattern moving forward. Like the Wildcats have done, shoot your way out of a funk.