“I believed for a long time that I could play at this level again. I didn’t see why I couldn’t.”
– Phil Mickelson
Even if you’re not a fan of golf, you’d have to be inspired by the win of Phil Mickelson yesterday, who at the age of 50, and 3 weeks shy of his 51st birthday, became the oldest ever winner of a Major – the elite competition level of golfers worldwide.
It could be a Roger Bannister moment for the sport. If you recall, he was the first person to break the 4 minute mile. But in the years that followed, many others followed his example. Why? Because the ‘belief’ that it was impossible had been smashed.
I don’t know about you but this year, for me January seemed to go on forever, yet February disappeared in the blink of an eye!
The experience of time whilst this pandemic is going on has certainly been different…
Yet today is the 1st of March and certainly where I live, there is a feeling of Spring in the air.
The days are getting brighter and with every week that passes we are getting closer to being on the other side of this unique global situation.
With nature bursting forth, it seems like a good time to look in the direction of positive change, of positive growth. To re-think our approaches, to raise our intentions and ask new questions of ourselves.
“Dear Life, When I said “Can this day get any worse?”
It was a rhetorical question not a challenge!”
I think most people have experienced a version of that quote above.
I remember a big turning point in my life was when I realised the power of language. Not just in it’s impact on others but more so on my performance in any field.
I’m not referring just to the spoken word but to the power of the language of my thinking, because behind every action is a thought.
A couple of weeks ago I shared a concept in my Strive webinar which resonated with quite a few people.
The concept I talked about was ‘Inner Pollution’.
Most people have a concern over the level of climate pollution but they rarely think about inner pollution – which I believe is a much bigger issue because of the damage it causes.
This was the opener from a client a few years ago, and not an unusual one I might add.
They were a leader in a large tech company who was very capable but an interesting side to them was that they would raise their eyes and smile any time I brought up the mental side of business.
The smile was a little bit like one you might get from an experienced business head talking to a more junior one.
This guy was American and in his words:
“Shane, we invented mindset and the inner game.”
Now while that could easily be challenged, I understood his point, and so we primarily focused on what I call the ‘outer game’ challenges and made great progress on his top goals.
“You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognise the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.”
