I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself. Sometimes, I wonder what the point is. Why can’t I just relax, why can’t I just be content, why do I expect so much from myself?
Tiger’s interview this last week with Scott Van Pelt for the ESPN Sports Center Sunday Conversation was freaking unbelievable! My biggest fear is not realizing my full potential. I really believe that hell would be seeing what you could have accomplished if only you believed in yourself and tried your hardest.
One sequence in particular really hit home with me:
SVP: You have 64 wins on the PGA Tour, a fortune in the bank, how do you fight the human nature that says ‘I’m going to hit the snooze button today, I’m gonna take my foot off the gas, I’m just gonna coast for a while.’ Where does the hunger inside of you come from?
Tiger: I don’t know how you can think any other way.
SVP: There’s no….what would allow you to be satisfied?
Tiger: Hmm – win more.
SVP: So the 64th is…it feels as good, as fulfilling, as the 1st, the 2nd, the 33rd?
Tiger: God yes. Oh yeah.
SVP: So there’s no point when you can sort of put the feet up on a Tuesday afternoon and say ‘Today I’m not going to the gym’.?
Tiger: No. Because the next…that’s…I look at life as: the greatest thing about tomorrow is that I will be better than I am today. And that’s the way I’ve always lived my life. So I have no understanding why people do hit the snooze button because you have a chance to become a better person, become – for me – a better athlete…all the different things you can do to become better for tomorrow. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?
In an ESPN article he had almost the same answer:
“The greatest thing about tomorrow is, I will be better than I am today. And that’s how I look at my life. I will be better as a golfer, I will be better as a person, I will be better as a father, I will be a better husband, I will be better as a friend. That’s the beauty of tomorrow. There is no such thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will apply tomorrow, and I will be better.”
I believe the point of life, the reason for living, is to always improve, to always get better and ultimately to grow and evolve as a human being.
Oh man. I love this stuff. It really gets me going.
My money is on Tiger this weekend at Augusta.
Hat tip: Adam McFarland (a friend who shares the same outlook on life and is killing it with his business)
“Oh man. I love this stuff. It really gets me going.”
How can it NOT get someone going 🙂
No wonder you are where you are in life…this is the same exact mentality you have. Keep rocking brother. You’re making us very proud!
Michael, thank you! That’s very nice of you.
-Adam
Awesome post. Tiger is my hero.