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Last night I broke 3 of my sleep 'rules' to witness sporting history.

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1. I spent 2 hours in bed on my phone watching golf.
2. I went to sleep way past my 'bedtime'.
3. I only managed 6 hours of sleep.

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But it was so worth it!

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Last night, Rory McIlroy entered sporting immortality by winning the Masters golf tournament and becoming only the 6th golfer in history (1st European) to complete the 'grand slam' in golf.

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Now, you may have zero interest in golf, but even if that's the case you'll want to read what I've got in store for todays email...

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12 Lessons Learned From Rory's Historic Moment

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I'm not the world’s biggest golf fan, far from it, but I'm a huge sports fan, especially when an Irish athlete or team are involved.

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I've followed Rory's career since he first burst onto the scene 15 ish years ago. I won't lie, watching him make history last night made me a bit emotional.

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So I've pushed my original email to next week and instead, I'm going to share the lessons I've learned from this historic moment. Honestly, these are so damn good! If I do say so myself.

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Greatness Requires Failures

The reason why this victory is all the sweeter is because of past failures. Back in 2011, he blew a four-shot lead on a nightmare final day at the Masters. It was a sad sight to see someone capitulate so badly.

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But he did what any great sportsperson does, and he bounced back. In 2014, a 25-year-old Rory was in the form of his life having won 4 majors. Winning the Masters almost seemed inevitable. Instead, this would be the start of a long barren streak at all four majors.

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He came close several times and has the most top 5/10 finishes of any player in that time, but he couldn’t get the job done when it truly mattered. Last year he admits he 'lost focus' and threw away another late lead in one of the majors. Another failure.

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But this time he got the job done. Last night he told interviewers all those near misses helped him be victorious. Each time he learned something and got better. If you're able to learn from 'failures', you'll never lose.

Preparation Is Key

This one goes without saying, but your success depends on how well you prepare. This guy left no stone unturned on his journey to greatness. He wasn't leaving anything to chance. Whether it was his sleep (he's a Whoop sponsored athlete) or the thousands and thousands of practice swings, he was prepared to win.

You Need a North Star

Yesterday was the greatest day in his golfing career after achieving what he said was his 'dream'. Through all the near misses and heartaches, he's always had his 'North Star' to focus.

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You need a big goal in place to keep you going when times get tough. How else can you be expected to pick yourself up off the floor each time you're down there?

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When you're clear on your North Star, you'll always find the energy to turn up and do what's needed, even on those days when giving up feels like the easier option.

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A Supportive Team Is Everything

You are only as strong as the environment that's around you, and Rory proved how true this is. He's known his caddie Harry Diamond since they were kids and he praised his role in the victory yesterday. He also thanked his parents, wife, and little girl.

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Environment dictates success. No matter who you are, you need a supportive team around you. To have anything else is a fruitless endeavour.

Always Believe In Yourself

Very few people will ever experience the type of pressure that was on Rory's shoulders throughout this tournament. In his own words, the kind of pressure that makes your legs so funny. He was far from perfect yesterday and made his fair share of mistakes.

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But despite the mistakes, the stress, and the pressure, he always believed in himself. If the last shot was poor, he had to believe the next one would be great, which is exactly what he would do.

No matter what situation you may find yourself in, always believe in yourself to come through it. It doesn’t matter if it's blind optimism or dead-set confidence, you gain nothing by doubting yourself.

Work On Your Mental Game

In preparation for this year's season, Rory started working with renowned sports psychologist Bob Rotella to help him improve his mental game. He had all the skills in the world but was missing that little bit of mental fortitude to help him get over the winning line.

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You can be the most skilful person around, but if the bright lights cause you to freeze under pressure, you're useless. This goes far beyond athletes. This applies to everyone. Your mental game needs to match your physical game.

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Learning to deal with high-pressure situations and still deliver on your promises, regardless of the profession, is a 'game-changing' trait to possess.

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Visualisation and meditation can help with this.

How You Deal With Setbacks Dictates Your Success

Success is a rollercoaster, and much like progress with your health and fitness, it's not linear. The road to success will be paved with bumps, hurdles, and setbacks. Your mindset around these setbacks will ultimately determine your level of success.

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A weaker person could have easily let those setbacks derail their career, but not Rory. Instead, he used them to fuel a fire that only went from strength to strength. If you let setbacks put you down, and keep you down, real success will never come your way.

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Learn to deal with inevitable setbacks and watch how your life changes. Like it has for Rory.

Remember To Be Proud Of Yourself

He said something in his victory press conference that I really liked. He said he was proud of himself. It kinda hit me. How often do we ever say that?

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I don't know if I've ever really said it out loud before. So it really made me smile to hear him say it on live TV. I think we could all do with being a little bit more proud of ourselves.

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Even if you haven’t hit the heights that you'e been hoping for yet, or you've 'failed' your goals, still remember to be proud of yourself. I know I'm going to make more of an effort to do so.

The Only Thing To Fear Is Fear Itself

Fear can be debilitating. Whether it's on the golf course or in the boardroom, fear can stop you in your tracks like a proverbial 'deer in the headlights'. You have two choices when fear shows up.

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Turn and run away, or face it head-on.

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In front of an audience of millions of people around the world and a decade of pressure, Rory had no choice but to face it head-on. For which he was rewarded for doing so. When you realise that the only thing to fear is fear itself, it gives you to freedom to go after what you truly want, regardless of the risks.

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So what if you get burned a little in the process? The upside is a million times better. Lean into the fear like Rory did, not away from it.

Celebrate Others Success

As I said at the very start of this email, watching him win last night made me emotional. Seeing someone achieve their ultimate dream in life gave me goosebumps. It made me want to write this email. That's how happy I am for the fella.

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This isn't me trying to be all 'woo woo', but when you celebrate others' successes, you're setting yourself up for future success. That type of energy is infectious. If you're genuinely happy to see someone win, then that'll be pushed your way at some stage in the future.

Stay Focused On The Moment

Golf is the ultimate test of mental strength. One moment you can be on top of the world, the next you're digging your ball out of the sand or from between the trees. All of which happened to Rory.

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In those moments he had two choices. He could either panic or think about the possibility of losing, again. Or he could stay present and focused on the moment, putting all of his energy into the next shot. Then the next one, and the next one, and the one after that.

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If you're not focused on the moment. If you're not fully present in the here and now. Life will get away from you. So, instead of thinking about next week, or next year, start thinking about your 'next shot' and take it from there.

If You've Put The Work In, Trust Yourself To Produce

This final lesson is closely linked to the second one. When you work your ass off and you've prepared to the best of your ability, place trust in yourself to produce the goods.

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You may not be sinking putts on the golf course, but maybe you've got a marathon to run, or a new investor to pitch to. If you've put the work in and you know you've done all you can, then simply let things happen. Before anyone else can trust you to produce the goods, you need to first show that trust in yourself.

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Rory first appeared on Irish TV at the age of 9, chipping golf balls into a washing machine. He's put the man hours in. He prepared as best as he could, and all that was left for him to do was trust in his ability to produce when it mattered most...

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And he DID!

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Quote for the day

I hope you enjoyed this because I really enjoyed writing it!

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- Mark

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