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The Good, the Bad and the Future?

After Dardanelle, the feelings I have are more closely related to the other end of the spectrum, the down side. I anticipated the competition at the D because it looked to be well suited to my fishing strength, or at least I felt confident of putting the pieces together. The piece of the puzzle I was missing was the “where” to find suitable bass.

One of the things I dislike most about a bad tournament result is making excuses, so no more of that.

The past 26 seasons have been a constant roller coaster ride of ups and downs. In order to do this for so long, it’s been necessary to have a thick skin and a short, selective memory. You have to shake off the pain of un-success, not failure, but still painful, and grow back into a positive, confident state of mind. In order to build your optimism for the next event, you’ve simply got to do this. That’s all! That’s also why few make it very long in this sport.

After lots of good and bad results, this seems to be more difficult. There have been so many painful results, that I have a hard time feeling bad enough to allow me to transition into a more positive attitude for the next time. Maybe I need to throw stuff including a “hissy fit” to release the bad, but I’m more likely to shrug it off and move on without letting it go. That does not seem to work.

At one time in a younger state, we all think we are bullet proof. I know I did. This works for a while, sometimes a long time. Eventually, the cumulative effect of painful results seems to make a callous on your psyche, not on the outside where you need it, and you realize, at least subconsciously, you are not impervious any more. That’s when it gets harder to re-build your confidence after a poor showing. It is ABSOLUTELY necessary, but gets more difficult with each scar.

I realize that I am just as competitive on the inside as ever and it hurts just as badly as ever to have a poor result. The difference is that now, I don’t seem as able to convert this competitive nature into a physical state. Nowadays, the body hurts almost as much after even a good day as the psyche hurts after a bad one.

I KNOW that I still have winning inside of me. It’s in there with the rest of the competitive parts. The difficulty at this time of my career is bringing it to the forefront and making it stay there long enough to ripen and mature. My goals still include winning and enjoying the journey while attempting to make it happen. I will take this attempt directly to the Wheeler event and my confidence and optimism are already building.

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