The only thing better than watching greatness unfold before your eyes is having the person who was great, open up and be vulnerable about how they actually did it.
This is exactly what happened on Sunday following Jordan Spieth’s wire-to-wire British Open victory. If you didn’t tune in, Spieth started the final round with a three-shot lead, only to find himself trailing Matt Kucher by one shot with five holes to play. What happened over the last five holes is what Johnny Miller (one of the game’s all time greats) called it, “the greatest finish, I have ever seen in championship golf.”
Spieth went on to play the last five holes in five under par and win his third major title before the age of 24. Spieth can only be compared to two players this early in his career; Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. While he was quick to put those comparisons to bed during his post tournament interview, he did share a great story after he won.
Just a week prior to the event, Spieth shared a picture on instagram of him arm and arm with some of the best athletes to play their respective sports; among them Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps. (Scroll to the fourth photo in the below Instagram slideshow.)
During a difficult stretch during the final round where it appeared Spieth was going to give away the tournament, his caddy Michael Greller said “Do you remember that group you were with in Cabo last week? You belong in that group.” That comment clearly stuck with Spieth throughout the rest of the round because in the press conference he said something every person needs to hear:
“I think just a little bit of belief that you are, you know. Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps are the greatest to ever do what they did, and I’m not. But if you believe that you are, then you’re almost as good as being that. And it’s so hard in that situation to believe that, but just having just the slightest bit of belief in it makes you so confident.”
Why is Spieth’s advice so incredible?
This world we live in will beat you up. There is always someone waiting, even expecting you to make a mistake or fail. Having self belief and confidence in yourself is paramount to overcoming obstacles and disappointments in order to be successful.
Whether you’re like Spieth and have already achieved high levels of success, or you are just starting out, the point is:
If you believe you are, before you are, you drastically improve your odds of becoming it.