Over the course of 25 years in the golf industry both as a player and an instructor, I’ve determined that certain traits affect a person’s success or failure both in golf and business. Winners have a plan and monitor their progress. When they fail in some part of their plan, they view this as a learning opportunity and shift their next step, or simply view it as a way that doesn’t work. Lou Holtz said, “Glenn Deck, life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” Winners will seek out knowledge or look into other ways to create some form of success; they don’t look for excuses or blame others for their failure. Winners on the golf course understand they control their success and seek out answers that will help them.
So why do some people have the ability to get results, be successful and improve, while others seem to continually spin their wheels or fail to develop even though they have put in the time and effort? As a “Top 100 Instructor in America” and PGA professional for many years, I believe I have the experience and knowledge of seeing behaviors that “result getters” all hold in common:
Passion
Passion takes on a number of factors, including: a personal commitment to undertake an experience knowing you will most likely face both positive and negative effects; setting personal goals and objectives; having a desire to improve; having the ability to say “no” in order to stay committed to your dreams; exhibiting the ability to overcome negative thoughts and criticism; and, most importantly, the excitement to take on new challenges with the desire to improve. Passion for what we do can look differently with each of us. Passion is something that one can learn and improve upon. Some people are more outgoing and unbridled with their passion while some keep it within. The key is that you have to continue to develop the passion within and keep feeding and growing it.
Great Alliances
Finding the right partners, teachers, mentors, friendships, networks or work groups can truly affect individual success. The relationship a person creates will affect one’s self-talk, what one works on and one’s abilities and skills. Forging and maintaining great alliances are often the key between passion and an ability to get impressive results much faster. Acquiring knowledge and wisdom from others that have proven success is very important. Building great relationships or seeking outside advice comes naturally to some and for others it is a skill that needs to be learned. So learn how to seek out those who can benefit you and your goals.
Ability
Ability is more than the sum of one’s given talents. It’s identifying your body’s strengths, mental skills, knowledge and experiences. Ability is about developing one’s talent through his or her passion. When you combine passion to develop ability with an understanding of how best to develop skills, you are on the way to creating success. Yes, most skills are developed from knowledge gained from your alliances along with your ability to work through failure and success. Using trial and error alone is usually costly and time consuming, and ability without passion is also not a winning combination.
So if you are self-conscious about getting help from others, get over it! Ability without the right skills is a waste of time. Avoid making excuses, wasting time and creating those pity parties. Instead, maybe we should all take a cue from Jack Nicklaus who said, “Don’t be too proud to take a lesson. I’m not.” That’s how he became one of the greatest golfers of all time. If you want to be more successful, go take a lesson, find a mentor or spend time with others who have achieved success and learn something from them. This is the best way for you to develop your skills to achieve greater success in sports and business!
To discover your traits of success, contact the Pelican Hill Golf Academy at 949.467.5810 or Glenn Deck by email at: gdeck@pelicanhill.com.
