Discipline-is not a fad if you want to be the best!
It is very interesting to hear great athletes talk about discipline and their goals to be the best in the world. Sometimes you wonder, were they born great and now in the twilight of their lives reflecting on the greatness they created and embellishing the efforts, or did they put in the work and earn their greatness? I recently finished reading a story about the late Kobe Bryant, one of the best athletes on the planet! He talked about how he trained with the focus to push himself further than he thought possible. While on and off the basketball court he found himself wanting to quit time and time again. Thinking that he didn’t have enough talent when he was a young teenager and in a mere four years blossoming in his late teens, early twenties becoming a NBA Draft pick at 18 years of age and going on to push some would say the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. Kobe found that his ability to push himself came from his drive of wanting to be the best he could be, in all aspects of his life. His dad was a successful basketball player in his own right, but not at the level Kobe had dreamed for himself. Kobe found that when he was feeling isolated, he would pick up a basketball and feel more comfort. He could immerse himself in thoughts and actions on the court that allowed him to transform into a champion. In his early teens he would wake up at 4:30 or 5 am and go practice before school, so that he knew he would get more reps in than anyone else, giving him a mental edge when it came to tryouts and competitions or games. He knew by watching his dad play and his teammates that it takes discipline to work so hard when he would be the only one to know, until his chance came! Discipline to get up every day by 5:00 am, workout, stretch, run, and shoot all types of shots on the court, stretch and active rest. He would put in 8-10 hours a day for a teenager! Bryant had discipline to stay with his goals to be the best basketball player ever, he had grit to push himself when it became tough, he had enough resolve in his abilities to manage the disappointments that happen in sports and life, he knew he would be prepared for the challenges that came his way.
What does this have to do with golf? Well, it doesn’t matter that Kobe was an NBA and Olympic great or if you are an aspiring junior golfer wanting to play college golf. Do you have the discipline to do the work necessary even when no one is watching? Are you accountable to get up early, staying up late to get the reps in? Will you cut your development and your dreams short by only doing what it takes to be good, can you be the next great golfer? Well that is up to you, be accountable, disciplined to stay with your process, even when it doesn’t feel good, or when you are tired or frustrated. When you think you have done enough, you have more to give! Get After It!
When the crowd cheers after world championships Kobe always reminds himself, that was why he was disciplined to do all the hard work! When you hear the crowd cheer (mom or dad) when you hit that perfect drive when it counts or make a four-foot putt to win a tournament or finish off a great round, remind yourself, the discipline to stay longer to finish your practice, to make the 100th putt in a row that you said you were going to do before leaving to go home, Get after it! Be great by staying disciplined to your goals or dreams! Discipline is not something that happens only when it is going well, or when you feel like it is an everyday thing, especially when no one is watching you do the work!
Enjoy Your Journey!
