You don't score those hundreds as easily as you used to do. Do you? Those goals are difficult to come by. Your sprint timings are no longer as good as the other athletes. You feel unloved and that the world is conspiring against you. Relax! These are common occurrences in the world of sport and please don't think that your stars have forsaken you. It happens to the best in the world and you are no exception.
Triumph is just around the corner if you have the guts and the patience to overcome the despair and hopelessness that hits every achiever at one time or the other during a successful career.
Just because you do not score runs any more or grab wickets or score goals as regularly as you used to doesn't mean you have to give up on your dreams. You can solve your own problems by believing in yourself and your ability and inching your way back into form. If you have a good coach who understands psychology, approach him for advice. But be careful not to speak to coaches or seniors who put you down or advice you to quit.
Take the example of Shiela Taormina, the US swimmer who won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. She 'quit' eight times on her way to making the US Olympic team, rejected by her coaches and criticized by her teammates, but she believed she could do it on her own and came back every time with added determination. Take our very own Mohinder 'Jimmy' Amarnath who was known as the "comeback man" of Indian cricket. He was dropped so often from the Indian team that he doesn't remember how many times he was recalled. Making his debut in 1969, he played on till the mid eighties, and was instrumental in winning India the World Cup of 1983. He won two "man of the match awards" during the final stages of that World Cup and is today a cricketing legend.
So don't give up easily. Stay true to your goals and aspirations and listen only to your heart. Don't listen to the experts who have nothing better to do than to run others down. Ignore the critics because they know nothing. What Dale Carnegie once said - "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do".He is absolutely true.
Push yourself, be your own PRO and enjoy pushing your envelope. Continually question and challenge your limitations. Limits, after all, have one purpose in a winner's life - they exist only to be challenged and broken. Enjoy proving those who doubt you wrong. Use their negativity and doubts as fuel for your motivation. Act as if there is nothing impossible.
Remember, slumps and blocks happen. Setbacks and injuries happen. However, on the other side of these dark moments is the bright sunshine of success. On the other side of impossible is TRIUMPH and on the other side of every slump is VICTORY!