A Lesson in Self-Talk from the Masters

I had a completely different journal post ready to go for this week and then I came across this tweet about golfer Rory McIlroy who was talking about his first round of the 2025 Masters golf tournament. It was too good and timely not to share.

Watch the video in the tweet below. For context, Scott Van Pelt, who is interviewing Rory, is going to mention “a disappointing end to yesterday’s round” which refers to Rory shooting a double bogey (2 over par) on two of the final four holes. For a professional golfer, this is not how you want to finish a round.

If you regularly complete the FREE2COMPETE daily journal activities, then you know on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays that we ask you to complete a “What Went Well” list. This is so that you can build the mental muscle that Rory is using in this clip! We don’t want a couple of bad moments ruin your day, practice, or performance!

UPDATE: When this journal activity hit your mailbox at 9:00 am on Sunday, here is Rory’s day to day performance:

• Thursday: shot even par (72) and finished the day tied for 27th place

• Friday: shot 6-under par (66) and finished the day in 3rd place

• Saturday: shot 6-under par (66) and finished the day in 1st place with a 2-shot lead

• Sunday: Well, if you see this early enough, you’ll have to tune into CBS and find out!

JOURNAL ACTIVITY

How consistent have you been in completing your “What Went Well” journal on a regular basis?

If you regularly complete your “What Went Well” journal, is it something that you regularly rush through to get it checked off your list or are you consistently thoughtful and intentional with what you write?

• BEGINNER LEVEL: The weather was nice, I got Starbucks on the way to school, we did my favorite drill at practice.

• ELITE LEVEL: My mom snapped at me this morning for not putting my dishes in the dishwasher & instead of snapping back I just did what I should have in the first place, I could tell my friend was having a rough day so I sent her a text telling her what I appreciate about her, practice was tough but I really focused on my self-talk and encouraging my teammates to get me through it.

If you do not regularly complete your “What Went Well” journal, what is holding you back from completing it?

What impact could it potentially have on you if you invested 10 thoughtful & intentional minutes, 3 days a week, to improve your mental muscle in this area?