How to get on a winning streak

There’s a new guy I’ve discovered on Instagram: his name is Charlie Rocket. He has an amazing story of survival and resurgence from a brain tumor, coupled with a magnetic charm that oozes calm, positivity and encouragement. His ideas and philosophies serve as guidance to more than a million followers, plus many more beyond his media channels.

Most of what he shares is built around one simple idea, and it clearly resonates on a very deep level. For many of his fans, it’s landed so powerfully that they’ve even tattooed it onto their bodies:

“WINNING STREAK.”

Specifically, he talks about that he’s “always on a winning streak”. It means that, despite having a brain tumor, he insists that nothing bad has ever happened to him.

As you can imagine, with that level of resilience, he’s my kinda guy ;-)

When I first heard about the winning streak, it had me thinking back to the winning streaks of my own life. The moments that felt as though the wind was behind me and I could fly: the new job, the girl that becomes the wife, the sons who arrived healthy and strong. We catch those memories under the same umbrella of gratitude and appreciation.

But that’s just the surface level stuff. This “Winning Streak” mantra asks us to dig a bit deeper. Because some days it’s hard to find the win when we’re fighting an uphill battle just to stay in the game. And those are the days that matter the most.

When we take a closer look at this mantra, we’ll discover that Charlie’s energy works best as a performance posture rather than an outright promise. It forces us to stay the course even in tough moments, maintaining the idea that we are actually responsible for our own winning streak. That each streak is made or broken by our attitude and perspective on what happens to us.

We can use his mantra to change how we show up. Even when we get one punch after another.

Welcome to reality.

I tried the winning streak approach, and it didn’t go as planned. I was ready for the parking spot right outside the entrance, the smooth traffic to my appointment, and the email to be responded to urgently so I could finish up the task. But none of those things happened. And of course that was to be expected. Life was never going to say “right this way monsieur Le Page” and hand me the easy path to whatever I wanted.

And that’s the whole point.

I understood that Charlie’s mantra is powerful and engaging because it changes our posture, even in the most delicate moments. Good fortune is never guaranteed (nothing really is) but it’s still an opportunity for us to expect the best from ourselves rather than hoping external circumstances go our way. Those external circumstances have nothing to do with our successes or failures. Only we do.

And this matters right now because we all need a bit of pep in our step when things go sideways. Because some days we’re going to send the perfect pitch and hear nothing back, or we’ll do everything right and still let someone down.

How do we hold faith in the winning streak then? Well we can tap into ideas that allow us to maintain a positive and resilient mindset, even in the darkest of moments. We must never lose faith that we will prevail in the end, while simultaneously confronting the facts of our current reality.

Here’s how to ensure we start and stay on our winning streak.

1. It’s just one day/moment.
   Our brains love drama, so we go hunting for meaning in everything and turn small moments into sweeping conclusions. We assign a story to what happened, but it is usually our interpretation, not the event itself, that makes it feel “good” or “bad”. Whatever label we assign to the situation gives it more power than it deserves.

2. Build the identity we want.
   Regardless of what happened, did we act like the person we want to become when it counted? Often, the real win is in the standard we held for ourselves, not the result we got back. We might lose on the scoreboard, but still walk away knowing we handled it with integrity, composure, and a lesson that will serve us next time.

3. Update the mantra.
   Instead of saying “I’m on a winning streak” and hoping life suddenly starts rolling out the red carpet, we can choose a sturdier version of the idea. We’re on a winning streak because we keep showing up well, staying grounded, and responding with intention, especially when things do not go to plan.

4. Rewrite the “win.”
   Maybe the win is that we handled disappointment without letting it destroy our self-trust or throw us off course for the rest of the day. That is often more meaningful than the easy win. Maybe we recovered quickly, resisted the drama, told the uncomfortable truth, stayed calm under pressure, or simply found the strength to get back up again.

Whenever we get a hard-fought win, it tends to count a lot more than an easy win that felt effortless. That’s always the silver lining in any disappointment, that we’ll use it to get stronger. And, whilst it might sound like it’s riddled with optimism, I think it’s got more to do with resilience.

Optimism is expecting and hoping for a good outcome. Resilience is staying grounded when we don’t get one.

There’s something in every situation. That’s why we’re always on a winning streak!

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carré at Resilient Minds

PS - is your business looking to set up or maintain a winning streak? Let’s chat about a resilience workshop or lunch and learn to build and maintain an unstoppable team. Reply here and we can connect.