Last weekend was the PGA Championship and there were two big stories from it. 1) Tiger missed the cut after having won the Masters 4 weeks prior. 2) Brooks Koepka began the final round with the largest lead since the 1930s.
Both stories had a common component. Preparation. Tiger is older now. He needs weeks and weeks of prep to build up to a PGA major event. Between the post Master's events, only 4 weeks between events, and an illness just prior to the event, Tiger wasn't able to complete his necessary prep work to begin the event in a condition to win.
Brooks Koepka is 29. Single. In tremendous shape. Strong mind. He came prepared and dominated from the first few tees. He had some issues in the final round but was able to draw on his preparation and power through to victory. And commentators were already speculating on how long he could keep that level of preparation up.
Tom Brady doesn't eat Strawberries... or lots of other common foods. Why? He's found that being over 40 in the NFL, his success hinges directly on everything he does between games. His diet. His exercise. His preparation.
Michael Phelps. In his final Olympics, Phelps was aiming for particular number of golds and needed one more. The challenge was that his last swim was so close to his previous swim and dramatically cut into his pre-swim prep. That was the story. How would he adapt? He won.
Story after story of pro athletes that have maintained a high level of performance directly related to their prep. And its not just physical prep. It's mental. Ever notice all the guys wearing headphones as they arrive at the event hours before game time? They are getting their mental game going.
How often do we just jump into an activity or role with limited prep? We want sustained excellence but we don't do the prep work. And, just because we've excelled previously we act like that will just continue. Often, as we age, as life adds complexity, as the role grows, we actually need more preparation, not less.
If tomorrow matters. Preparation matters.
