The Trap of Past Success

There’s a dangerous moment in every athlete’s journey.

It’s not after a failure. It’s after a success.

That big hit. That locked-in week at the plate. That dominant performance.

That’s when the mind whispers, “I’ve got it figured out now.”

And without realizing it, you begin to assume your past success guarantees future success.

You stop preparing with the same edge. You cut a corner or two in the routine. You expect the results to just show up again.

And that’s where greatness is lost.

Success Can Create Complacency

In MLM, we don’t just coach performance, we coach patterns. And one of the most dangerous patterns we see in talented athletes is this:

They use their past as a blueprint for their future instead of treating each moment like Day 1, Pitch 1.

The truth is, past success is not a plan. It’s not a guarantee. It’s not protection. 

It’s just proof of what’s possible when you lock in, stay humble, and train like you have everything to earn.

But if you start relying on yesterday’s swing, last week’s win, or last season’s stats, you’re already behind.

Bias Isn’t Just About the Opponent. It’s About You.

Most people think “bias” is about underestimating your opponent or assuming how the game will unfold.

But for high performers, the real bias is internal. It’s the subtle arrogance that says:

“I’ve done this before. I’ll do it again.”

It’s the mindset that stops you from preparing with the same fire. That tricks you into thinking your identity is locked in because you’ve had moments of success.

At MLM, we train our athletes to destroy that mindset.

Because the minute you assume you know how you will perform—just because you did yesterday—you stop doing the work that made it happen.

The Work Doesn’t Care What You Did Last Week

It’s easy to fall in love with a hot streak. To tell yourself you’re “on fire.” But performance doesn’t live in a streak. It lives in the standard you show up with today.

• Are you still stacking your 1% Better reps?

• Are you still taking your breath between every pitch?

• Are you still talking to yourself with clarity and purpose?

• Are you still asking: “What does this moment require of me?”

When you let past performance write the story of your next performance, you stop writing. You coast. You assume.

And assumption has no place in elite preparation.

We Don’t Rise to the Level of Our Past. We Rise to the Level of Our Training.

Think about it.

The best players in the world are the ones who stay hungry after a win, who know how to enjoy success without letting it soften their habits and who show up with urgency, not ego.

That’s the difference between a moment and a mindset.

A moment is great. A mindset is unshakable.

The greatest athletes build a reputation not just for performance, but for their consistency. Their emotional neutrality. Their process.

They don’t just prepare for the game.

They prepare for themselves.

This Is Why We Say: Day 1, Pitch 1

It’s not a slogan. It’s a system.

Every pitch is new. Every moment is fresh. You earn every inch again.

The scoreboard doesn’t care who you were yesterday. Neither does your opponent. And neither does the game.

So why should you?

Control the Controllables. Kill the Complacency.

In Major League Mindset, we teach that bias is the enemy of growth. Especially when that bias comes from thinking you’ve arrived.

You haven’t.

And that’s good news, because it means there’s still room to evolve, still levels to hit, still greatness to claim.

So the next time you’re tempted to assume your next rep will look like your last: Stop. Breathe. Ground yourself.

Then ask:

What does this pitch require?

What kind of player do I want to be right now?

And then compete like it’s Day 1.

Because when you do, success stops being something you chase.

It becomes who you are!