Phil Mickelson's Major Moment Fueled By This Championship Key

In a coin-operated world that conditions us to sacrifice our passions in order to earn a decent wage, it's refreshing to see someone truly love their job. The deeper you dig the more obvious it is that “love of the game” is a consistent theme of the true Great Ones.  Cue up the familiar Quote from that all-Star first baseman Confucius: "Choose a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life." When your craft is something you enjoy, it motivates you to prepare harder and excel longer.

This lesson was top-of-mind as I watched Phil Mickelson break barriers last weekend on the PGA tours. Mickelson became a professional golfer nearly 30 years ago; and 45 PGA Tour victories later, it's evident that the key to his career success is his passion for what he does.

Mickelson's PGA Championship-winning weekend at Kiawah Island in South Carolina was testament to how the 50-year-old can consistently generate excitement from his left-handed swing. His tee shot on the 18th hole to practically seal his sixth Major tournament title created a raucous sea of khakis and short-sleeve collared shirts energized by his milestone moment. The crowd swallowed him as he walked off the tee box. No golfer older than 48 had ever won a Major until "Lefty" did Sunday.

Full disclosure: This past year, golf served as a safe family experience for me when most of our "normal" outlets shut down due to the coronavirus health crisis. Piling into a pair of golf carts with my wife, 12-year-old son, and 11-year old daughter to chip and putt around a local course left a fond divot in my heart. Admittingly, it also left a few wayward slices onto the rooftops of homes along the par-5 tenth hole...sorry. For what it's worth, we did yell, "Fore."

Mickelson's historic victory was bigger than the silver Wanamaker Trophy customarily hoisted by the PGA Championship winner. After all, he'd won the same trophy back in 2005. But like most of us, his career is a depiction of life's many ups and downs. Most of us have experienced success in our personal or professional lives, and we've also hit some disappointing lows. Mickelson's career is a three-decade display of mountaintop experiences, best-in-show status, and massive droughts. Prior to Sunday, he hadn't won a PGA Tour event in two years—hadn't won a Major since 2013. Yet, "Lefty" endured the lows by continuing to prepare for his next tournament with the same passion he brought to his first tournament. In fact several of his younger competitors said Sunday that Mickelson amazes them with how hard and how often he plays the game, even between tournaments when many others are relaxing.

There's quite the business lesson in that ability to approach what you do with passion for the process. When you love what you do, your preparation doesn't seem as dreadful. When you love what you do, you're more inclined to treat your failures as growth opportunities rather than nails in the coffin.

Two weeks before the win in South Carolina, Mickelson failed at Quail Hollow for the Wells Fargo Championship. After shooting seven-under-par for the opening round to sit atop the leaderboard, he plummeted from his perch down to a 69th place finish. Instead of selling his golf clubs and giving up his competitive golf chase, Mickelson tapped into his love for the sport, went to social media, and tweeted the following lesson for us all:

"I've failed many times in my life and career and because of this I've learned a lot. Instead of feeling defeated countless times, I've used it as fuel to drive me to work harder. So today, join me in accepting our failures. Let's use them to motivate us to work even harder."

If you don't love what you do, it's difficult to muster up that type of perspective. But when the core of what you do daily is driven by passion, you create the kind of core that is durable enough to handle setbacks.

What do you love about your job? What areas of your career help you endure the missteps, mishaps, or sacrifices made along the way? I challenge you to identify at least one component of your job that brings you joy, fulfillment, or purpose. Re-centering around what you love about your circumstance or why you enjoy what you do, will elevate the amount of discretionary energy you bring daily.

When you love what you do, you find yourself being great long past other's expectations. Few thought Mickelson would win the PGA—Vegas listed him as a 200-to-1 longshot. Yet, instead of being consumed with dejection or listening to doubt, he showed up for "work" and drove the fairways with a decades-long love of the sport, chipped with the confidence only gained by experience, and sank the winning putt with pure passion.