If you ever needed an example of the rollercoaster ride to success, golfer Rory McIlroy is your man.
He has just been crowned The Masters champion and will now go down in history as only the sixth golfer ever to achieve a Grand Slam, by winning all four golfing major titles.
But behind the glory of winning, and the admiration spilling out onto a global stage, lies a much less rosy picture. It’s picture of pain, disappointments, and no doubt many hours of self-doubt along the way.
It got me thinking about what it takes to achieve success.
Not just for golfers, but for any of us.
I see talented people from all walks of life not just giving up on their dreams, but holding themselves back from being outstanding at what they do.
Why does that happen? Here’s a few reasons:
Because it’s tough.
Because we make mistakes.
Because we lose our confidence.
Because we just don’t believe it will ever happen for us – so we kill off the chance of ever getting there by giving up altogether.
So, what would it take to get through the obstacles that are likely to hit us along the way, just as Rory’s had to do many times over?
I’ve coached sportspeople (including golfers) at the top of their game, and I can tell you that these tips apply to and work for, absolutely everyone. And yes, that includes you.
Try them:
Get clear on what you want to achieve
It’s OK to have a big dream if you turn it into a solid goal. Be specific about what you want, so specific that you can visualise it clearly. The more detailed the picture, the better.
There’s no doubt that Rory will have imagined himself lifting that trophy many times -long before he won it – cementing in his mind what the feeling would be like. Not only does visualising remind us of the reason why we want what we want, it also spurs us on in our darkest moments when we ‘re ready to give up hope.
Write your goal down, keep it simple and create a crystal-clear picture of what that looks like for you.
Plot your plan
Listen, I’m all for dreaming. But dreaming alone, or waiting for things to happen for you, will leave you disappointed. Don’t do that to yourself. Instead start thinking about what you can do to make it happen. Simple actions such as being in the right environment and getting to know people who can offer you tips will all help. Whatever it is you are striving for, set yourself some mini actions that will take you closer – even if it’s inch by inch.
Don’t be fooled by anyone who looks like they’re an ‘overnight’ success. What you won’t see are the many hours (often years) it took to get there. It’s a rollercoaster ride and you need to buckle up and prepare yourself for it. That’s not to say you won’t have ‘wins’ along the way, the harder you are working to bring your plan to life, the more you’ll achieve.
Plan some milestones along the way – for Rory, it was about winning other tournaments. For you it might be working towards promotion, or winning new customers for your business , or being selected for a new team.
Whatever it is, plot it.
Practise makes you better
If you want to be the best at anything, you have to be better than the rest.
This doesn’t mean ‘perfect’, it means better. There is a misconception that the harder you work, the better you get. That’s not entirely true if you’re making the same mistakes over and over again, or if you’re not pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to do things differently.
Get smart about how you can stand out, take some risks, try something new and yes, work hard at that. Winning means doing it differently enough that you stand out, for all the right reasons.
What can you work on that will stretch your performance?
Be ready for the hurdles
I’d love to tell you that it’ll be plain sailing, and that you’ll have no problems along the way.
But that would be a big fat lie.
If you are taking risks, and you are trying different things and you are pushing yourself – there’s every chance that you’ll have failures. And that’s OK.
Failing, is learning and when you use what you’ve learned to be better, you’re well on your way.
Unfortunately, us humans don’t like getting it wrong. It fills us with embarrassment or a gut wrenching feeling that we’re not good enough. But the more comfortable you get with feeling uncomfortable, the greater your chance of winning.
The obstacles in your path don’t hold you back, you do.
Manage your mind
Ahh, now this is the big one. This is the one that Rory McIlroy and other sporting giants have had to crack. Managing those mental monsters in your head are the difference between winning or losing.
How many times have we seen technically talented people miss seemingly easy shots? Or crumble at key moments when it matters? And what about you – have you ever ‘fluffed it’ when you’ve been under pressure, even though you knew what you were doing?
Of course you have. We all have.
The overlooked piece for success, is the mental one.
It’s listening to the thoughts in your head and kicking out the ones that are not helping you, in fact they’re probably pulling you down.
These thoughts/voices make an ugly appearance when we’re nervous, they get louder when we take risks, and they linger when someone has criticised us.
But it’s your head, and you’re in charge of you – so take control.
Question the validity of the negative thoughts, remind yourself of how far you’ve come, what you’ve achieved along the way and of how capable you know you are.
Make a list of this stuff to refer back to when you feel you stuck in a rut and use it build up your self-belief.
If you don’t believe that you’ll make it, you probably won’t.
And that’s why Rory won The Masters and the Grand Slam. Because despite his disappointments, and the negativity he’s faced on his journey (from the crowds at tournaments, from the social media keyboard warriors, from those within the sporting community and yes, from within his own head) he never gave up.
When you want success, and when you want to win as badly as he did, you find a way to make it happen, and even at your lowest points, you make that decision to never give up.
Anyone can do that.
Amana
The Spotlight Coach
Straightforward, straight talking