Motivation

A definition: The reason behind a desire to accomplish a goal or endeavour.

As you may see, motivation and goal setting are very closely associated. It is difficult to think why anyone would do anything without a motive.

Hunger promotes the desire to eat. Your motive for eating is not to feel hungry.

An unsatisfied need motivates. Therefore, the more you need or want something the more motivated you are.

To clarify this point: Believing it would be nice to be a great player is quite different to having a burning ambition to be a great player. One is a daydream, the other is an ambitious person with a dream.

You need to consider what you expect to achieve from playing golf. A stroll in the countryside for exercise, a bit of light sporting entertainment, a reason to get out of bed on a Sunday or excellence are all motives to play, but each motive serves to fulfil a completely different goal.

A highly motivated person has clearly defined goals, and will work as hard as it takes to achieve them. A person who ‘talks a good game’ may claim to want the same things but in reality lacks the drive

Excellence in golf cannot be achieved without excellent motivation. It is essential to decide what your aim is within the sport. Whilst goal setting is an excellent way to maintain motivation, a pre-requisite to the goal of excellence is motivation – a kind of ‘chicken and egg’ scenario.

So work out why you want to be a good golfer. Be honest, is it a love of the sport, the comradeship, the adulation, or the possibility of fame and fortune?

You will not succeed unless your motivation can match the demands of your ambition. Take an honest look at where you would like to go, and then carefully work out what you will need to do to get there. Can you hack it?

If your ambition is clear, you must establish a set of goals that will help you along the lonely road to success, permitting you track progress whilst keeping you focused and motivated. (see Goal Setting)