The Distance To Success Equals One Millimeter

Every two weeks, on Saturday morning, I rise early for a coffee meeting with my mentor Abhi Golhar. Though Abhi and I are both the same age, Abhi’s wisdom is well beyond his years. And that makes these meetings well worth getting out of bed for.

But this week’s chat was different. Abhi offered me a piece of insight so impactful that I will carry it with me for the rest of my life.

As we were talking about life goals and doing big things, he said to me:

Did you know that the difference between an average golfer and the greatest golfer in the world is just one millimeter?

Puzzled by this analogy, I asked him to explain more.

He said that greatness is often much more attainable than we think. We often view big, lofty goals as impossible to achieve. We often think that we can never be as good as those who are great. But that’s not necessarily true.

Intrigued by this, I asked him:

How does one close the gap on that one millimeter and how does one know which adjustments to make to improve the proverbial swing?

He explained that it is simply trial and error. The best golfers in the world are not born that way. They practice with hundreds of thousands of swings and make micro-adjustments with each one. Every time they make a swing, they evaluate the outcome through the lens of “Did that move me closer to -- or further away from -- the hole?" And over time, their swing becomes more precise and they get better at consistently reaching their target.

This concept was so profound for me because it made the impossible seem possible and helped me to realize that goals are not achieved by one massive movement. They are achieved by many micro-movements and even small mishaps sometimes. The important thing to view those mishaps as teachable moments and apply that experience to perfect your next “swing.”

I challenge you to take a look at the week ahead and ask yourself:

What micro-adjustments can I make that will move me closer to my goal?

And if you want… feel free to share in the comments below. :-)