Tiger Woods is back to winning! His win yesterday is one of the greatest comeback stories of all time. I was watching the news today and heard a reporter tell of a conversation he had with Tiger a year ago.

The reporter asked, “Tiger, you’re so close, what’s it going to take to start winning?”

Tiger responded that it was in his putting.  He had to putt better.

He was asked, “What will it take to putt better?”

“Work!” he said. I’ve gotta put in the work.  He said he was putting 3 hours a day!

Then he was asked, “Why are you still doing this?” He said, “My kids we’re babies when I won before…I want them to see me as a champion.”

Wow.  So much about what it takes to be a champion packed in to that brief conversation.   Here are three valuable lessons we can apply to winning in our own lives as we pursue our goals:

1.  You’ve gotta stay hungry. 
Winning requires an internal drive and desire.  You can’t rely on past wins, and you can’t let past defeats hold you back.  You future success depends on the current state of your heart and mindset.

2.  You’ve gotta have an unbelievable work ethic. 
At one point Tiger has such back pain that he couldn’t even walk.  He fought through the pain to not only walk, but to golf again.  Then, refusing to be satisfied with that, he continued to work as hard as possible to start winning again. He was willing to pay the price.  He had a do whatever it takes mindset.

3.  You’ve gotta know your “why”.
Knowing the why behind your goal will sustain you and drive you when things get difficult.  If your why is not strong enough then you won’t be able to navigate the adversity you will face.

Think about the goals you have and ask yourself today:
1.  How hungry am I? 
2.  Am I working as hard as I possibly can?
3.  Why do I have this goal?

We live in a world where many people dream, but few actually do what it takes to achieve that dream.  Be one of the few.  Keep going.  Keep believing.  Keep working. 

Gary, you’ve got what it takes!

Gary

P.S. I posted the video on my Facebook this morning of the reporter telling this story. Click here to watch!