Monday, June 20, 2011

Rory McIlroy and Good Reminders

Guest post by Joe Crispin.

It is certainly my pleasure to be guest-blogging here again, though I realized today that I haven't blogged much since taking Z up on his offer to do so a few months ago. Hopefully this week serves to point me in the other direction, for my wife reminded me today that there is no such thing as a full-time guest-blogger.

Actually, in looking at my site I see that only four short posts ago I addressed Rory McIlroy's collapse at the final round of the Master's. In case you haven't heard, Rory just blew away the field in this year's U.S. Open. He finished at -16 eight strokes ahead of his closest competitor. In U.S. Open history, his performance was off the charts historic.

If you watch golf at all, you know it was difficult not to be happy for him, to put yourself behind him and enjoy his domination. Especially after his collapse. Though I didn't see the entirety of his four rounds, I certainly saw enough to see him playing much differently than he did just a few short months ago in those final nine holes at Augusta. For throughout the entirety of his rounds, you saw a young man playing very free, relaxed and aggressive. No doubt, he was seeking to do his very best and hopefully to win, but it certainly didn't look like he thought about the winning so much that he actually hindered his ability to compete his best.

His performance reminded me of a few realities I come back to time and again as a professional athlete.

1) Games are meant to be played wholehearted, but free from the fear of failure or or a particular result. They are meant to be wholeheartedly enjoyed.

2) The best way to perform your best is to tap into that original design, to taste that freedom, to get lost in the game. To give it everything without wanting it too much.

May the Lord grant each of us the grace to taste these realities, no matter where we may find ourselves in the world of sports.

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