The Comeback
Stay in the Fight
It is the biggest opportunity of your life, and you go out there and lay an egg!
How do you respond? How do you gather yourself, stay in the fight, and forge a way to victory?
What are the ingredients of a comeback?
I am watching the Masters Tournament on Sunday afternoon. I flip it on and see the final grouping is Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young.
I hadn’t followed closely the first few days, the announcers mention Young’s awful start, so I went back and looked at the scorecards.
Cam Young opens his tournament with a 40 on the front nine Thursday.
+4 through nine holes.
This is the Masters.
One of the biggest stages in the sport.
And he gets punched early.
It’s so easy to allow a moment like this to spiral into a disaster. How did Cam Young claw his way back to the final grouping on Sunday?
I think about the famous Mike Tyson quote:
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
My mind goes to Super Bowl LI.
Down 28-3 deep into the 3rd quarter.
The sideline message was simple.
ONE score at a time.
Then back to 2004 when the Red Sox were down 3 games to 0 to the Yankees in the ALCS. No team in history had ever come back from that deficit.
Kevin Millar walking around saying:
“Don’t let us win one.”
That’s how it starts! Get the first ONE!
The Body of the Comeback
Stop digging.
When you find yourself in a hole, the best way to get out of it is to stop digging! You made a mistake. Own it. Then move on. No replay. No excuses. No carryover.Respond. Do not react.
Reaction is emotional. Response is disciplined. Take a breath. Reset your eyes. Get your mind right. What is the next right action? Execute that.Win the next moment.
Not the game. Not the round. Not the scoreboard. The next rep. The next play. The next hole. Narrow your focus to the next step that you can wrap your head around and execute.Talk to yourself like a leader.
Your inner voice matters. Be your own best coach. Clear. Direct. Positive. If you wouldn’t say it to a teammate, don’t say it to yourself.Fall back on your fundamentals.
When pressure hits, go simple. Technique. Footwork. Alignment. Basics win when everything speeds up. Brilliant at the basics.
Wrap Up
Comebacks are not built on emotion.
They are built on discipline.
They are built on presence.
They are built on belief.
You flush it.
You respond.
You simplify.
You stack one win at a time.
And you stay in the fight long enough to give yourself a chance.
As Jón Páll Sigmarsson said:
“It is better to have a bad start and a good end than a good start and a bad end.”
Stay in it.
Finish it.
Confidence is earned.
Love every aspect of this. It's so easy to get whisked away in that one loss, mistake or mishap. Always learn and move forward. Solid Execution requires a short memory at times. Keep shooting your shots!