Of course I wrote this as a result of last nights' result, but it can apply anywhere. Please, feel free to unload more negativity, or question the motivation. If it helps, that's why I'm here.
Surely you have been told time and time again about money management and discipline. There's no reason to beat a dead horse, as there are only three possible outcomes. You either have it, will learn it, or won't.
My father had an expression, "if you're not sure what to do, then don't do anything." My guess is that he didn't originate that, but that's where it came to me. It's a great life-lesson, but it really applies to gambling.
We had what was one of the most devastating losses last night, I'm fairly certain most know the game and the result. It's happened before - the kind where your team simply has Christmas in the Summer and gives things away. After a tough loss most people tend to react with anger and/or frustration, which is perfectly normal. However, staying in that mode for too long will effect everything you do going forward, even things outside of betting. If you are going to stay in the game, get over it. Look back at the handicap exactly like you would/should any other loss. Look at the handicap of the handicapper.
By not getting back to your routine you will create self-doubt or hesitation, neither of which will have a positive effect on much of anything. The effects can cause you to question your work or question the work of the handicapper, if you followed someone. If you have a good track record or the handicapper has a reasonable history of finding winners, then odds are it was just one of those things. I don't mean to diminish a loss, but rather look at the other side of things. We win games we probably shouldn't, and over the course of time they will even out.
The only time to move forward is when the emotion is gone. I can tell you this from personal experience. I have been in the passengers' seat with plays on plenty of occasions. I follow people I trust. I have people that follow me, probably because they trust me. But, most importantly you have to trust yourself.
Don't over react, or at least don't buy another pick or look at another rotation without having hit the "refresh" button. If you have hesitation, you will make a mistake. If you have doubt, you will force a play. Remember one of our goals is not to have have more wins (well, sort of) but to have less losses and eliminate mistakes. We're not perfect, but if we take the emotion out of things we can make decisions with much more clarity, hence much more confidence.
It's not as easy as it sounds on paper, but if we're always looking to improve often times it's beyond the handicapping aspect of gambling. That's the simple part and the more binary part. But, we are human.
If a quarterback throws an interception and he's not confident in his next throw, he'll throw another one. If Steph Curry misses several three-pointers in a row, he's not going to stop shooting. It's the emotional intelligence that separates them from the pack.
Remember, we will fortuitously win games, and we will lose some that sting. There are no "right side losing" tickets in my book. The tickets cash or they don't and tomorrow will come, regardless. The sooner we recognize that the better off we will be, and the same thing(s) can be said about "dealing with winning" - how easy is it to be overconfident? And now that I feel better, too, it's time to look further into Wednesday.