When They Write You Off!

Last week was an exciting week for me. I was charged up! You’d think I won. Nothing excites me or gives me more hope like the Tiger Woods win. He won his fifth Masters and 15th major title to achieve one of the most significant comeback stories in sports after overcoming so many challenges in the recent past. 

At 43 years old, he succeeded against all odds, through the tightly packed leaderboard to win by one shot in Augusta. His first major title in 11 years and first Masters win since 2005.

The excitement as I write this article, is palpable as it completes the magical record of the most dominant golf player of this generation and some will say the best ever after overcoming “demons” through injury and the personal challenges with his divorce. In 2017, he underwent a career-saving spine fusion surgery, had problems with the law and prescription drugs.

Yesterday’s win completes a remarkable redemption puts Tiger No.1 just three majors behind the all-time record of Jack Nicklaus.

“Only fellow American Nicklaus has won more Masters, with six. Woods also joins Nicklaus as the only player to have won the Masters in three different decades after he clinched his first as a 21-year-old in 1997.”

"It's overwhelming just because of what has transpired," Woods said in the Green Jacket ceremony in the Butler Cabin.

"Last year I was very lucky to be playing again. At the previous Champions Dinner I was really struggling and missed a couple of years of not playing this great tournament and now I'm the champion. Twenty two years between wins, it's a long time and it's unreal for me to experience this. My mom was here, she was there in 1997 as well. I'm just so happy and excited and I'm at a loss for words."

One thing that kept reverberating in my mind last night was, “how did he feel when they wrote him off and how did he muster the will and power to succeed again.” As we all know, getting to the top is not easy but a lot harder to sustain success. What is even more difficult is achieving the same level of success again when you have lost it completely and hit rock bottom. Many and in fact the vast majority never rise again after falling to the depth that Tiger did.

So, what must Tiger Woods have done to achieve this great come back, which you can also employ to achieve your own come back when you stumble like he did:

Love what you do – Be passionate about some and what you do. Once you have passion for what you are doing it cease to have the “work” tag attached to it. When you are doing what you love doing and have passion for, you do not want to stop. The key is to find your passion. One way of know what your passion is, is determining that activity or business that you can do happily without getting paid day in day out.

Focus on a goal - "Facing significant difficulty can boost the value that an individual places on a goal, which can enhance motivation," said life and career coach at Upstairs Coaching, Alex Kingsmill. Having a goal sounds like straightforward advice, but often settling on where you want to end up -- particularly when it comes to career and family decisions -- can seem overwhelming. But there's no need to bite off more than you can chew, to start with at least. "If goal setting and striving doesn't come naturally, start out small. A few quick achievements will boost your confidence and fuel your motivation. Then aim bigger and reward yourself along the way," Kingsmill said.

Manage your internal dialogue – We all have that voice in our heads that tells us, “you cannot do it”. “Are you sure?” “Do you have what it takes?” According to life coach and founder of Vision Scope Coaching, Tammi Kirkness, a hallmark of those who have achieved success despite the odds is that they're able to effectively manage this 'internal dialogue.' So what are they doing that we should be doing too? "They've been able to master it," she said of that inner voice. "Once they've recognised the existence of it, they continuously acknowledge and manage it in a way that helps to motivate and encourage their pursuits."

Be confident – many people find it difficult to be confident and even when they are they try to downplay it, because people have called them arrogant when they showed traits of confidence. But, psychologists say, confidence is very important to those who overcome obstacles to succeed. The belief that you will succeed no matter what, is a trait that is seen in many people who have had to struggle in their path to success. Confidence is what Tiger felt in his ability especially after listening to so many people telling him that he was washed up and could no longer be considered a golfer, but a former boxer. He was confident in knowing that he could come back and win big.

Be tenacious – Nothing beats tenacity. Everybody who has triumphed over adversity has had to be tenacious. A few week’s I talked about grit. Without grit and staying power you will not succeed. You just have to keep going no matter how many times you fail. Refuse to be discouraged.

Have faith in your abilities – in addition to your religious belief, have a deeply held belief in your elf, it is the cornerstone and beginning achieving success. "Strong faith keeps these people going when others might throw in the towel," psychotherapist, Dr. Karen Phillip said. "It's the foundational building block that allows them to take the risk and to move forward with their dreams."

Don't see obstacles,  see solutions – Thomas Edison, creator of the lightbulb, took between 1,000 and 10,000 attempts before creating the world-changing invention. Paul Ewart says, “It's worth asking ourselves just how many times we've stopped ourselves pursuing something because of the perceived difficulties we will encounter along the way?” "It's all a matter of perception," said Ben Harvey, educator and co-founder of Authentic Education. "An unsuccessful person may think of starting a business, but then encounters obstacles and thinks, 'what if I fail?'. Whereas the successful person sees solutions, 'how can I learn more?' or 'how will I succeed?'"

Learn from your mistakes – Bill Gates believes that his failures are an important learning tool, he famously said, "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." Paul Ewart, said, “despite dropping out of high school and enduring failed business ventures, this go-getter went on to achieve great things.” It's a habit that registered psychologist, Dr. Marny Lishman, believes is shared with those bound for success. "They look at what has happened and can make recommendations for going forward in their life rather than getting bogged down in their perceived failures. Taking on board what has worked -- and what didn't," Lishman said.

In conclusion, never allow anybody to write you off. You can succeed if you decide to. You keep trying, have faith, don’t see obstacles, learn from your mistakes, have confidence and believe that you can succeed and you will. The sky is your limit.

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Marie-Therese Phido, CEO, Elevato, Strategy, Innovation & Marketing Expert and Business Coach