Take Dead Aim
Golf is one of those games where your mindset can make or break a round. There are a number of correlations between golf and life, golf and sales, sales and life, and life and business.
How do you approach the pin? Well, if you have never played golf, this might be a tough question, or it may not be very clear. The pin is a specific objective. It’s known by a number of names including the hole, the flag, or the stick.
The late great golf pro Harvey Penick, has a saying – “Take dead aim.” This is a mindset, a mindset of focus.
The above image is the 17th hole on a golf course in Arizona. It is inspired by the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. It is a pure 9-iron to the middle of the green. All-day, every day. Some days, noise can enter the equation. It is the type of noise that gets in the way. It could be wind, rain, or the large amount of water between the tee box and the island green.
This noise does not change the fact that there is still a pin you are shooting for, a ball that you have addressed, and a golf club in your hand.
Have a mindset of focus. The ability to clear your mind of distractions can help. When you see your objective – Take Dead Aim.
What happens when adversity strikes?
Do you take advantage of every opportunity? Do you commit? or…
Do you fold?
The above story from Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle is the Way – is a personal favorite. If you witnessed your work, your dreams, go up in flames, would you take advantage of the opportunity to see something amazing, or miss out on the experience?
Internal vs External Locus of Control
Carol Quinn – in her book on Motivation Based Interviewing discusses internal vs external locus of control. She also discusses this on episode 96 of the Catalyst Sale Podcast.
External Locus of Control – believe that failure/success/rewards/outcomes in life are generally outside of their control.
Internal Locus of Control – believe that their own actions determine the success/rewards/outcomes that they obtain.
I like to summarize this as “Oh crap, Not again. Why does this happen to me” = External Locus of Control.
While, “Ok, I understand the situation – Let’s Go” = Internal Locus of control.
The next time you run into a challenge, you experience conflict or something does not go your way, pause, take a breath – and ask “Is this happening to me? – Is it truly out of my control?” – or “Is this simply happening around me, and are there aspects I can control or influence to move things forward?”
So What?
If you Take Dead Aim, and Take Control of Your Thinking, and Shift Your Perspective – you will put yourself in a position to win.
If you Take Dead Aim, and Take Control of Your Thinking, and Shift Your Perspective – you will put yourself in a position to win. Click To TweetAt a minimum, you will be in a position to take advantage of the opportunities in front of you, and create the future you are looking for.
Now What?
When you find yourself in a challenging situation, or you have an amazing opportunity in front of you…
Ask yourself these three questions.
- Am I the thermostat (in control) or the thermometer?
- Am I focusing my attention on the pin (flag, hole, goal)?
- Is there another lens I should use to look at this challenge?
Thanks for reading – Sales is a Thinking Process – how are you thinking differently about yours?