I was able to watch the 2007 PGA Masters from the first round on Thursday and see Zach Johnson, a rookie on the toughest Team USA he’s been in close to 20 years. What impressed me most about Zach is the focus on the present that he showed at the tender age of 31 in front of huge galleries, television cameras broadcast to over 190 countries around the world, and, playing against his idols in a course that he toured as a guest following one of his idols Phil Mickelson just a few years ago dreaming of playing once on this famous course.
For anyone who has played golf, most of us know the inner doubts we face when lining up for our birdie putt that don’t happen too often if you’re a bogey golfer like me. Expand on that by the distractions Zach had to contend with and you might, possibly, imagine this young man’s feat.
Here’s the surprising part of it all, to control his nerves, he refused to look at the leader board, particularly on the back nine of Sunday’s final round. In doing so, he birdied 3 of 4 holes before the 17th. Then, on the 17th, he takes a look at the leaderboard. As a result, he bogeys on the 17th. He came out of the present, lost concentration and the result was a ghost. However, he had a 2 stroke lead and the bogey put him 1 over with a 1 stroke lead. He focused again and completed the 18th with a par leaving him waiting to see what Tiger Woods would do, who was now chasing him down 2 shots after hitting an eagle on the par 5 13th hole.
Don’t worry, Tiger hit a couple of bad shots and Zach won the 2007 Masters and got the green jacket from Phil Mickelson.
It is this kind of single-minded approach that defines winners. Stay in the present ignoring all outside influences. His long-term goals were set, including playing and winning the Masters, and all he had to do now was stick to his plan to practice, play and improve, in time for Augusta.
This same approach should be applied to business, to life, to passions. When you want to achieve something important to you, your passion, do you have a single focus that disconnects from negative outside influences? You are a winner?
This is not easy and may take practice, but it is certainly easier if your ‘Why’ is big enough. Is your reason for being successful (your ‘why’) big enough that nothing is stopping you from being successful? Including failures along the way?