I am sure you have heard many great athletes say things like, I’ve poured all my blood, sweat and tears into this, or this win is from all the blood and sweat I’ve put into my career. This weekend while you are watching the Ryder Cup, listen to the comments. I am sure you will hear a similar statement from nearly every competitor. The Ryder Cup is a reward for the hard work, sweat and tears all the players have put into their own games to be selected to represent their country. The Ryder Cup is a biennial event in which golfers are rewarded for their strong performance during the golf season and some are selected based on their talent and relentlessness in competitive match play.
Success does not come without sacrifice, it does not come without failure, it does not come without giving it your all, so naturally during your journey to success you will experience many physiological and psychological effects. To set a goal of playing golf at the highest levels, collegiate golf, professional golf, winning USGA amateur events, whatever it is, you will sacrifice some blood, sweat and tears for the cause. Maybe you have already experienced some of these things. If you haven’t, it is likely you are not pushing yourself hard enough. Golf is a great sport. It is a great game that teaches us many things about ourselves and life. I believe there’s something we can all agree on about golf – golf is not easy! As a matter of fact, golf in its simplest form is easy. Get the ball in the hole with the least number of strokes possible, but to do that consistently well and better than anyone else is hard. It requires many hours of work on thousands of different variables, under many different circumstances and in many cases, the outcome is out of your control.
How can you succeed, develop a plan, build in the times you know that may be tough, tournament pressures, long practice hours, difficult workouts in the gym, the mental practice needed to overcome the overwhelming desire to give up when it gets really hard or you have a bad round or practice? With a coach you can manifest your journey, however it will not be all sunshine and rainbows.
Yes, it is great to hold the trophy of success, but we have seen how athletes are reduced to tears, or unable to speak after their victory. There’s the overwhelming emotions from all the years of working so hard to win, then the dam breaks. The emotions are so strong they can no longer hold back the tears of joy and sacrifice. To say the least, there are few who have tasted victory without first being on their backs, to develop resolve from defeat is a step to a victorious life.
Over the years I have seen many good athletes give up too early on their dream because they have been knocked onto their back, not developing the resolve to get back up and fight for what they say they want. They overlooked three things, blood, sweat and tears! Get UP!
Enjoy Your Journey!
