OK, I’ve not blogged in a while and to ease myself back into the fray, a little light piece for openers.
We recently had a networking golf day at my own club Craigielaw and as part of the fun we had a sports psychologist talk to the group before playing our round.
He talked about the winning mind set displayed by top sports people and to help us perform better during our game of golf, he asked us to use the acronym WIN (What’s Important Now) as a way of focusing not on what had gone before or was to come, but the now.
The chat after the game was how much better people had played and that they attributed this in part to the WIN idea.
Our overall winner from the day was an ex-Liverpool and Scotland footballer who, despite advancing years, still has that mental edge and desire to win.
He scored over 50 Stableford points (yes over 50!) and had we been able to randomly drug test him, would probably tested positive for several banned horse steroids and supplements.
He knows who he is and the handicap committee has him firmly in their sights…
Anyway, the link to top performance and mental attitude is clear.
As so to our Andy.
I wonder how many times Andy Murray’s name has been mentioned around the collective water coolers of the UK?
An incredible result (only spoiled for me by Alex Salmond’s shameless posturing with the Saltire…) and an amazing display on mental control and desire to win which he’s carried with him all through his career.
He also showed patience beyond his years in dealing with quite simply some of the most fatuous interview questions ever posed.
During one sledgehammer attempt to subtly link a visiting Sir Alex Ferguson to his difficult semi-final encounter with Verdasco, the interviewer suggested he may be due the hairdryer treatment from Ivan Lendl after his performance.
“…But I pulled back a two sets deficit to win the game and wouldn’t deserve the hairdryer” was his succinct putdown.
It does seem the BBC still hankers after the golden era when Fred Perry was in his pomp and gentlemen quite rightly wore long trousers on court.
If you’ve tuned in to find some clever link between my ramblings and the current machinations in Financial Services, prepare for disappointment.
Roland Oliver
8th July 2013