#249

I’m a golf tragic, so watching Rory McIlroy go back-to-back at The Masters was a highlight.

But it wasn’t just Rory that stayed with me.

Justin Rose touched me too.

Runner-up last year, tied for 3rd this year. So close… but yet so far.

And yet, his reflections felt as useful as the victory speech.

“You can’t skip through a career without a little bit of heartache and heartbreak.”

Not many of us like this part.

In careers. In relationships. In parenting. In leading. In trying something new.

We want the wins without the near misses.

But if you’re putting yourself in a position to win…you’re also putting yourself in a position to lose.

The two travel together.

“You’ve got to put yourself there – that’s the hard part.”

Everyone wants the outcome.

Few consistently do the work required to be in contention.

In the Masters, it’s being there on the final day and more precisely the back 9.

In life, it’s being close enough for things to matter.

Submitting the proposal.
Having the conversation.
Taking the shot.
Showing up again… when it didn’t work last time and you don’t want to this time either.

It matters less how you start.

It matters more whether you keep putting yourself in the position where something could happen.

“We try and make the odds in our favour the best we can…”

This might be the most transferable idea of all.

We over-index on outcomes.

Promotion. Sale. Recognition. Win.

But outcomes are noisy and often at the affect of timing, luck, other people, invisible variables.

What’s more within reach?

Becoming the kind of person who creates more chances.

Because better players don’t always win… but they’re there more often.

And over time, that compounds.

So the whisper this week isn’t: “Go win”.

It’s: “Keep putting yourself in a position where winning is possible”.

Less pressure.

More repetition.

Less obsession with the result.

More focus on the conditions and ensuring your skill and capability show up.

Because in the long run, life will also reward the person who keeps showing up long enough for things to align.

Some whispers to ponder:

> Where in my life am I avoiding heartache… and therefore also avoiding being in contention? 

> What does “putting myself in a position to win” actually look like in my work or relationships right now? 

> Am I focusing more on outcomes I can’t control… or the inputs that increase my odds? 

> Where have I stopped showing up because I didn’t get the result last time? 

> What would it look like to become a “better player” rather than chasing a single win?