Let’s talk about the New York Football Giants for a minute. Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Giants completed an unlikely title run this past Sunday by beating the favored New England Patriots to become Super Bowl champions. Punctuated by ups, downs, and one of the more impressive receptions seen in any Super Bowl, the game delivered excitement for the fans and a shining trophy for the team from New York.

(Photo: Associated Press - Pat Semansky)

But how did the Giants end up standing on top of the world?

The progress chart goes as follows:  going into their Christmas Eve game with fellow Meadowlands occupants and cross-town rivals the New York Jets, the Giants were an unimpressive 7-7. Average. Ordinary. 50/50. Historically, numbers like that do not usually indicate a team that is Super Bowl-bound. But because of the likewise lackluster performance by fellow NFC East division teams, it was actually mathematically possible for the Giants to go to the playoffs. To give themselves that chance, though, they had to win the last two games of the season.

Here’s where it happened. The Giants turned their season on its head and beat the Jets (who were fighting for a playoff spot as well). That win brought the Cowboys to town, and whoever won the game, won the division and a spot in the playoffs. Spurred on by the impressive Jets win, the Giants ran all over the Cowboys and claimed the playoff spot.  From that point on, the Giants’ momentum was like a rock rolling down a hill. They trounced Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs. They handed the Packers only their second loss of the entire season. They battled hard against San Francisco and came out on top. Finally, in the Super Bowl, the Giants defeated the New England Patriots, a team that’s been to fully half of the Super Bowls in the last decade (and has won three of them). Every team the Giants beat had a better regular season record than they did.

In short, the New York Giants won the biggest title in football by not letting their prior performance get them down. They committed 100% to winning one game, then the next, then the next, and so on. By working hard, learning from their mistakes, and going all in, they gave themselves momentum and rode that wave all the way to the top.

So after hearing the story, here’s the question:

ARE YOU ALL IN????

Are you like the Giants? Will you let a so-so past performance weigh you down, or are you going to shake off the frustration and make something amazing happen? If you want to be successful, you don’t have time to brood and say, “Woe is me!” So ask yourself:  am I doing what I can every day to improve my performance? There are so many opportunities for you to “turn the season on its head” and find success; for example:

1. Take advantage of the wide array of training TREG offers—there are classes taking place nearly every business day!—or try something new you learned in a class but haven’t done yet. Keep learning and keep doing.
2. Commit to mastery of the fundamentals. Fundamentals never change, but in order to master them, you need to dedicate yourself to relentlessly focusing on them. Fundamental #1? There is no new way to throw the football.
3. Look at your business plan and see if you’ve dropped the ball anywhere; if you have, pick it up and run with it!
4. Ask yourself if you’re utilizing your Sphere of Influence to its full potential. If not, do something about it.

Often it doesn’t take much to turn the tide, but taking advantage of that turn-around requires an all-in commitment to making things better. You have to fully believe in the eventual reward that comes from doing the hard work of business-building, day in and day out. The only way to feel the power of your own momentum is to get up and get started!

So take a lesson from the Giants: never, EVER let an average day/month/quarter/year get you down. Instead, use it as motivation, and commit yourself to going ALL IN on being a success. Take advantage of resources available to you, build your business, and generate your own momentum. No one else is going to do it for you!