There is a lot of general confusion about winning because we focus on the outcome rather than the process. Winning is a process not an outcome [see photo].
The simple way to describe what happens inside the winning process is to look at the actions of a player who wins and one who loses. If we watch the loser of a golf tournament like the Masters we can notice two distinctly different behaviours - one is an adjunct to winning and the other rusted-on to losing.
Consider the hypothetical example of the two tournament leaders coming off the 15th green on the final day of play. One player sinks a long putt while the other misses a short one. So they both stroll on up to 16th tee and the first to hit will be the one who sank the long putt. Imagine that the one who just sank the long putt is now 2 strokes clear of his rival. At this point in play he the slight favourite to win the tournament and put on the famous Green Jacket that crowns the victory. Does he go on to win or does he find a way to lose?
Roll on to the next hole. The leader shanks his drive and is in trouble off the tee. Meanwhile the guy who is trailing by 2 strokes creams a long drive straight down the middle of the fairway. Who is favoured to win the tournament now? Some say the golfer with the long drive. As it turns out that is a good bet to make in this hypothetical. But why is this so? If you remember that winning is a process you may have the answer. Clearly the player who got his long putt to disappear into the hole on the 15th green is not in sync with his winning process on the 16th tee. But what could deflect his mind from the process of hitting the ball to the best of his ability? There are any number of things that could have distracted him. The applause of the crowd, and the lapse of concentration that followed, has him thinking about the outcome not the process. He begins to think about how close he is to putting on that Green Jacket before he strikes his ball on the 16th tee. Meanwhile the other player knows he made an unforced error with his last putt and he sees that his opponent has hit a poor tee shot so he doubles down on his winning process. He blocks out any thoughts about the crowd, about winning or losing, about Green Jackets, and he concentrates on hitting his ball off the tee. Indeed for the rest of his round he hits every shot he is given to the best of his ability including the short putt that secures the win for him.
How do we know anything about the turning point in this golf match? We know it because we pay closer attention to interview with the winner. He seems to be locked into a mental haze. He is actually a long way from the point where he can see the result he has achieved. When asked about the putt he missed on the 15th he can barely recall that moment - all he can say is that he felt good about the way he was striking the ball [which means he felt good about his winning process]. Indeed the fact that he has won the tournament of his dreams has not really sunk in for him and you can tell this by the way he answers most questions. "This is a dream come true. This moment is surreal for me. I can not believe that I won here. What happened out there is kind of a blur....." That is the response of the man who is still inside the winning process of hitting the next ball and the one after that and the one after that. Meanwhile the loser is talking about outcomes. "I got lucky with a long putt on the 15th green. Then I shanked the drive on the 16th tee to an uncomfortable spot on this course. Then I miss a regulation putt on the green. And after that my opponent played perfect golf."
In sport, as in life in general, those who focus on outcomes are less likely to ever put on the Green Jacket. They might be favoured to win but there is always some else out there who is totally committed to his or her winning process.
Richard
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