I can do this

I’ve seen it done.

Hideki Matsuyama surprised everyone but himself, at the WGC-Bridgestone golf tournament on Sunday, with a 9-under-par 61 that tied the course record and gave him a sudden victory by five strokes over all the contenders, including World Golf leaders, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson.

Matsuyama knew it was the course record and he had seen it done. He was playing in the same group when Tiger Woods shot a 61 in 2013. He knew it could be done and exactly what he needed to do to achieve it himself.

Remember, “You can achieve, what you believe,” and it’s easier to believe, if you have seen it done.

So next time you hear about it, or read about it, be sure to ask your coach, mentor, or role model, “OK, now show me.”

Be better, do better.

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

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Check outUncle Ralph’s books, Don’t Do It the Hard Way and The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans. Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.

Forgetting failure

Don’t forget the lessons learned.

Jordan Spieth is back at the Masters tournament at Augusta National this week and trying to forget his horrific collapse last year on the 12^th hole that knocked him out of a commanding lead and caused him to finish second.

He says he’s “over it”, but there will be powerful reminders, questions, and worried watchers as he plays for another win. As in life and business, he has a choice to be haunted by the memories or to work on avoiding the same mistakes.

According to the golf analysts, who will not stop talking about last year’s failure, a momentary loss of focus caused a miss-hit into the water, which was compounded by another error in the recovery shot. Suddenly four strokes lost and the lead was gone. All for a moment’s lack of concentration on a single shot on one of the 72 holes over four days. Never an easy accomplishment.

The lesson for entrepreneurs has often been reiterated by those most successful in their business ventures. Don’t fear failure to the point of paralysis. Assess your errors and make changes to fix them and avoid repeating the mistakes. Learning from failure leads to success.

As Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways that do not work.”

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrepreneurship.com and join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.

Check outUncle Ralph’s books, Don’t Do It the Hard Way and The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans. Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.

Ready to play is not enough
Ready to win is the question

Just ask Tiger. He's almost ready to come back to competition, but not yet. He could play now, but not well enough to win, he thinks.

Are you playing just well enough to get in the game or are you ready to win?

Ready to compete is the first step and requires a minimum level of learning, practice and development, in business and in golf.

The next step is pushing your skill and performance to compete in the big leagues against world class competitors.

It will require another level of ambition, determination and hard work. Are you ready for that?

Your Uncle Ralph

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrepreneurship.comand join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.

Check outUncle Ralph’s books, “Don’t Do It the Hard Way” and “The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans” Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.