Planning is everything but also nothing.
Planning is important. We plan because its essential to manage resources to produce the best result. To be a successful athlete, you must plan. Usually, starting with long term (1, 3 and 5 year) goals and then using a top down approach to bring those goals to 3, 6 and 9 month horizons. Tiger Woods spends hours planning his goals every year, for the following year. It is a slow build up from start to end, where the first few goals are easily achievable to the last few goals, which will take time and hard work through the year. But let me ask you, was it in his plan to hole the flop shot in the final round at the 16th hole of the 2005 Masters? Or did he plan to hole the chip shot at the 16th hole of the 2012 Memorial Tournament? I don’t think so.
He ended up winning both tournaments, but neither situation was planned. Planning is everything but also nothing. Tiger Woods lived in the moment and improvised in order to reach his eventual goal, winning the 2005 Masters Tournament and the 2012 Memorial Tournament. Miracles happen, luck is required, but in the words of Gary Player, “the harder I worked, luckier I got.” So, do you work hard? Planning has the remarkable ability to keep our emotions in check. Each plan delivers a certain focus on the task at hand, eliminating the fear of not achieving the goal set. I had always planned to play college golf and turn professional, so I aligned my practice and tournament play in view of that plan. Little did I know, that when I attained a college golf opportunity, I did not want to take golf any further. My plans changed, and so did my life path. Planning is everything but also nothing. Plans are general guidelines, but they don’t define who you are and aren’t meant to be rigid. Customize your plan to your situation and deliver greatness while living in the moment.
Akshay Maliwal
Founder/CEO
