Have you ever watched a Masters Tournament from Augusta, GA? No matter who is in the lead at the end of 54 holes, it\u2019s no guarantee they\u2019ll win the tournament on the final day. It\u2019s similar to running a marathon. Most experienced marathon runners will tell you there are two races: The first 20 miles is the first half. The last 6.2 miles is the second half.<\/p>\n
In 1996, Greg Norman had a six-stroke lead at 54 holes, yet the next day he had a total meltdown and lost to Nick Faldo by seven strokes. The following year as they entered the final round, Tiger Woods had a record nine-stroke lead over Costantino Rocca. He seemed unbeatable. And he was, as it turned out.<\/p>\n
In 2015, Jordan Spieth won the Masters by leading all four rounds and became the youngest winner at age 20. But in 2016, he had a final round meltdown and lost to Danny Willett. As I submitted this column, Dustin Johnson had won his last three tournaments and was favored to win the Masters. But at press time, I learned Sergio Garcia earned the green jacket.<\/p>\n
Golf is like business and life. The best you can do is master the moment.<\/p>\n
You will never master the game. Mastery of a moment within the game does not guarantee mastery of every other moment. Past successes can help future successes, but they cannot guarantee them.<\/p>\n
Tiger won the Masters. But when his next tournament and every tournament thereafter comes along, he has to start all over. His past excellence may have won him considerable praise, perhaps giving him a psychological edge of some kind. But in the end, he has to work from a re-leveled playing field every time\u2014perhaps even against opponents more determined than ever to show mastery of the game equal to his own. And with time and injuries, the question is: Will he ever come back? You can only master the moment.<\/p>\n
The ones who have the best chance of doing that are the ones who stick to their own games. They compete against the course with the skills they bring. They plan mentally for how they will play each hole based on the day\u2019s weather, wind, and pin placements. They will not play Dustin or Jordan or anyone else. They play the course as it is that day, with the swing they brought to the course that day.<\/p>\n
LEARNING POINTS<\/strong><\/p>\n So what do I learn from this\u2014and from my own golf game? And how do I apply this to everyday life? Here are a few of the things I\u2019ve been learning (and sometimes must re-learn) that might have value for you. In golf, business, and life:<\/p>\n I\u2019ve learned some other things, as well, but I\u2019m more interested in hearing from you about learning points you might have gained. Send them to me at: bob@cttnewsletters.com.<\/p>\n Who knows, I just might use them in a future column. In the meantime, let\u2019s focus on mastering the moment.<\/p>\n Until next time\u2014continue to add value and make a difference.<\/p>\n Bob Pike, CSP CPLP FELLOW, CPAESpeakers Hall of Fame, is known as the \u201ctrainer\u2019s trainer.\u201d He is the author of more than 30 books, including \u201cCreative Training Techniques Handbook\u201d and his newest book, \u201cThe Master Trainer\u2019s Handbook.\u201d You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook using bobpikectt.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Golf lessons for business and life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[26],"class_list":{"0":"post-10861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-magazine","7":"tag-trainer-talk","8":"magazine_issues-may-2017"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n