Yesterday we spoke about the mental side of slumps, and the expectation of failure that grows as the slump deepens. Today we’ll talk about the opposite: how positive expectations can produce great results.

Did you ever hear of legendary salesman Bill Porter? Born with cerebral palsy, he refused to go on disability and instead won a job as a door-to-door salesman. Like all salesmen, he met lots of rejection, but he answered each one with words spoken to himself: “The next person will say yes.”

Using this bit of self-talk, he made his way along his 10-mile sales territory, never taking rejection personally, and never giving up. He wound up as a top seller.

Porter’s phrase “The next person will say yes,” is an affirmation, a statement of belief repeated often. Golfer Phil Mickelson used it on the day when he won a major tournament for the first time. It was at the 2004 Masters, and Mickelson had a reputation as a great golfer who couldn’t win a major. But on that day, Mickelson kept repeating this phrase to himself: “Today is my day.”

And it was.

What are the elements of a good affirmation? It should be short. It should be positive. It should address an area of your life that you’re working on. (I am a great ……) It should be spoken very matter-of-factly. And it should be repeated often!

Affirmations can extend your winning streaks, and shorten losing streaks.