Did you watch the PGA Championship yesterday? Phil Mickelson finished strong to win his fifth major.
There are so many story lines, but the most fascinating was his remarks to the Golf Channel guys after the event. Paraphrasing he said that older guys like him can still get after it, but it requires more. More focus. More training. More practice. More attention to diet. More on all fronts.
As that idea simmered in my mind I stumbled on a paradox. When we are young we have the advantage with energy, recovery time, focus, athleticism, but we lack that particular experience that can only come with age. When we are older we gain the experience advantage, but the other dimensions naturally start to diminish.
That is, unless we do something about it. What I liked about Phil’s response is that he apparently understands the paradox and he chose to do something about it.
Later I saw a tweet from a guy who was tearing up over Phil’s win. He said he realized in that moment that he wasn’t done yet either. Bottom line? We can allow the natural forces of entropy temper our hope, our expectations, and our performance… Or we can choose to get after it.
