Losing Golfer Talks About Winning in Life

Sports writers and announcers had practically conceded the 2005 U.S. Open Golf Tournament to Retief Goosen. He was the defending champion, he had a three-stroke lead as he started the final round at Pinehurst and he was known as “Mr. Cool,” because he had never wilted under pressure.

Yet Goosen surprised the golfing world by shooting 81, eleven over par, moving him from first to eleventh. Most people would think he would be enraged, bitter and full of self-blame. Instead, he commented: “This is nothing serious. Nobody has died or anything. I had a great Father’s Day this morning with the kids, and the family is a lot more important than playing anyone out there today. . . .I obviously threw this away, but I will be back next year.”

Wow! I suggest that we keep these words in mind the next time we:

• Lose a sale that we were 100% sure we would make
  Make a speech that doesn’t match our usual level of poise
  Say something we wish we hadn’t said to a customer
  Send an e-mail with inaccurate information

Thanks to Retief Goosen, we can decide that a bad day doesn’t mean we are a bad person or will have a bad life. As in golf. . .tee it up again, and try for a better score.

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