In the last two years, we’ve seen two legends in the game of golf, the two best players of their generation, overcome the odds to win major championships.

In 2019, Tiger Woods won The Masters, when, just a couple years before, many thought he’d never play competitively again due to his back issues.

It had also been eleven years since his last victory in a major championship, the longest such gap between major wins in the history of the game.

Last week, Phil Mickelson, who battles arthritis, and was two years removed from his last tour win, became the oldest golfer to win one of golf’s four major championships.

It had been eight years since his last win in a major championship.

The common link between the two is their belief in themselves, and a willingness to put in the work necessary to play their best.

In other words, they have the mindset of champions.

Mindset

As I’ve mentioned before, “mindset is the foundation of the Vital Pyramid.”

Without the proper mindset, no matter how skilled you may be, you may not achieve the success you desire.

What I’ve noticed often, particularly in my experience as a golf instructor, is that most people simply don’t have the mindset to get their best results.

Sure, at the beginning, many people have come to me with a gung ho attitude.

Just last year, a prospective student reached out to me with this attitude, desperate to break 90.  I was hesitant because I hadn’t done any teaching in a few years, and he was located in my old hometown (I still travel up there at least twice each month).

So, I met with him at a driving range where I used to teach, and he still had the positive attitude.

Then, I provided him with the information that I believe every golfer needs if they really want to improve.  They can simply use that information at their own pace, and I conveyed that as well.

However, he felt overwhelmed, and simply gave up on the idea.

I could provide numerous examples like this just from my experience as a golf instructor, but it is also common in everyday life.

The vast majority of people are simply unwilling to do what is necessary to succeed in business, lose weight, become a better golfer, etc.

Success takes time

I believe that one the biggest hurdles for most people who are trying to attain success is that they have unrealistic expectations.

Look at all those weight loss commercials… people achieving massive results in 90 days or less.

It is simply unrealistic to maintain the diet and/or routines that allowed those results for a long period of time.

How many times have we seen people lose a significant amount of weight only to put it back on and more?

An acquaintance stuck to an 800 calorie per day diet for a year to lose 75 pounds.  I am amazed she was able to do that for more than a week!

Ultimately, she put the weight back on, as expected.  Starving yourself like that is simply unrealistic, and likely unhealthy.

Achieving success in whatever endeavor you are pursuing requires the mindset of a marathon runner, not a sprinter.  (cliche, I know).

Changing your mindset is the easy part

The fact is, changing your mindset is the easy part.

The hard part is coming up with a workable, long term plan to achieve the results you are looking for.

This takes time, patience and research.

You then need to develop a plan that is workable for YOU.  What works for someone else is often not workable for everyone.

Just as an example, in the world of self protection, it probably does not make a ton of sense for a 115 pound woman to focus much of her training on learning to hit hard.

When faced with an assailant twice her size, that skill probably will not make much difference in the outcome.  She’ll need to develop other tactics and skills.

Once you have a suitable plan in place, it’s just a matter of execution.

Final Thoughts

Having the proper mindset is what separates the achievers from the unachievers.  It’s really that simple.

And, you can literally change your mindset instantly.  You just have to accept the reality that success in any endeavor takes time and effort.

Once you accept that reality, and change your mindset, the sky is the limit.

Now, get to work!