(NOTE: If you didn’t watch the game, there are short highlights on Youtube. I tried to put one of the videos in this post and was blocked from doing so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
Super Bowl 2022.
It looked as if the Cincinnati Bengals would win for much of the game. They seemed to be playing a cut above the LA Rams, even though you could tell the teams were well-matched.
Then something changed – specifically with the LA Rams. I saw the shift happen in the 4th Quarter. I didn’t know what it was – but I suspect it was a mindset switch.
The Rams got out of the Gap.
What’s the Gap?
It’s a term from the book The Gain and the Gap, by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy.
Being in the Gap is when you see only the negative – the flaws or the impossibility of a situation.
Moving to the Gain, you see the positive. And the possibility of success.
The situation doesn’t change – your mindset changes.
If I had been on the Ram’s team last Sunday, by the 4th Quarter I would have felt defeated.
I hope I would wake up and think, “Wow. I’m so lucky to be at the Super Bowl – we might lose, but I’m going to play my best game. I’m grateful to be here.”
And that shift makes all the difference – whether you win or lose the game, you still win because you’re in the Gain.
It’s much easier to see the Gaps in our lives.
We’re wired to search for danger. This negative bias has kept us from being devoured by predators for millions of years.
Now that we’re not running from tigers (Bengal tigers specifically), consider what area you might be in a Gap?
Try this exercise to turn a Gap into a Gain:
- Take a sheet of paper and divide it into two columns.
- On the top, describe the situation in one sentence.
- On the left, write, “Gap.”
- On the right, write, “Gain.”
- Set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Think of all the negatives and list them under on the Gap side.
- Reset your timer for 5 minutes and list all the positives on the Gain side.
How do you feel?
Can you see how just shifting your focus changes your mindset?
Having a “Gain” mindset changes you in two ways:
- You will feel more positive.
- You will be more open to solutions.
Having a “Gain” mindset when executing any type of marketing increases the likelihood of success.
Several studies have demonstrated that positive thinking increases your ability to being open to possibilities and finding solutions. Whereas, negative thinking narrows your vision.