Anyone who knows me knows I am a die-hard New York Mets fan. And if you’re a moderate baseball fan, you know the Mets have had more bad years than good years in their existence—especially recently. And if you’re a more intense baseball fan, you know the Mets recently lost in the National League Championship Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, four games to two. For those less versed in baseball, that means they were two wins shy of making it to the World Series, where they would have faced the crosstown rival New York Yankees. It would have been the Mets’ first World Series appearance since 2015.
While Mets fans, me included, may have had high hopes at the beginning of the season, I can’t imagine many of us anticipated the team performing this well. In the end, they were one of the four best teams in baseball. A “good” season, if you asked most people in the spring might have been a winning record and a chance to compete for the playoffs. The Mets far surpassed those expectations, and despite that, having the season end this close to a championship (the last such Mets World Series title came in 1986, before I was even born) hurts—a lot.
But after an evening of sulking and thinking about where the franchise is heading in the future—which players will be back; who won’t; what other teams had unlucky years this year that will probably be better next year; will the Mets make it back to this point in 2025—I put on some of the typical sports podcasts I listen to and many of the hosts were… surprisingly upbeat. This was never supposed to be a year the Mets won the World Series and despite the hurt following the conclusion of their season, there is a lot to look back on and be thankful for, to still take joy from.
This long-winded insight into the life of a Mets fan is to say this: Learn to look back at what you’ve accomplished and be proud of that. You don’t always need to worry about what you’re going to do next.
From conversations with travel advisors and looking at the results of surveys we’ve hosted, I know there are lots on the minds of advisors and agency owners—from hiring new staff and finding new clients, to learning more about artificial intelligence and figuring out how to handle clients who are worried about the economy or the November election (which, at the very least, will be over by the time of publication). I’m here to remind you to try to not get too overwhelmed by all of that. And sometimes the best medicine for focusing too much on the future is to simply look back at all the impressive things you’ve already accomplished.
Sure, it’s taken hard work, and you’ll need to keep that up going forward, but as we enter the final months of 2024 be certain to take time to reflect on the successes you’ve had this year. Maybe it was a new marketing program, a new client and supplier event or even just a totally kick-(redacted) trip you planned for a client. I find it’s always important to celebrate your victories—and even more so after some tough losses.
So, be proud of the things you made happen this year, take some solace in the fact that you’re on the right track, and then, once you feel temporarily gratified, get ready for an even better 2025.
Related Articles
Show This to Your Clients: Column
Editor's Letter: The Ins and Outs of Celebrity Travel
Signature Details Strong Sales Growth at Conference
Exclusive: LTA Shares Findings of Q2 Luxury Travel Index Report