Born to dream and raised with the ability to take chances is a luxury afforded to few. Some people have an ability to dance in the spotlight while others are more comfortable working behind the scenes but we all have dreams and desires.
“Cowards die many times before their deaths.
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear,
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.”- from the play Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare
This quote is often referred to but rarely quoted correctly or understood in proper terms. In my opinion, this credo can be adopted to many life situations but none perhaps any truer than sporting performance. Some people fight the nervous feeling that visits prior to a big performance or opportunity but the veteran knows that it’s a welcome sign that the time has come to perform and achieve.
Confidence doesn’t ask if but rather when. “If ” is the territory for the weak or unsure. The difference is found in the people who say things like if I ever get enough time, I’m going to practice or if I ever make enough money, I’ll be good at what I love to do while others say things like when I win this competition, I’ll move up in the rankings or when I hurt everyone’s feelings out here, they’ll know who I am. In golf, “if” means wondering if you can hit a fairway, stick an iron shot or sink a pressure putt. “When” means being able to recover from a bad shot or hole and still win. In long drive, “if” means wondering if you can bring your range game to the competition tee or if you can trust what you’ve worked on even in the face of pressure or wondering if you can compete with the others while “when” means knowing that even when you’ve hit 5 bad drives, the 6th can still be a winner and knowing that when you put your move on the ball, you belong among the best.
As we enter the crunch portion of 2014 and as many of our friends find themselves locked in a battle to advance through the stages toward a possible world long drive title shot, rely on the fact that your best is good enough and that it’s not a matter of “if ” but “when” you will succeed. Welcome the battle, bring the fight and enjoy every second to the fullest because you walk among the territory of the legends.