Moments of Grace
Coaching Tip #71
I, like many others was inspired by Phil Mickelson’s win at the PGA Championship this past weekend. As a golfer at age 50 he accomplished something that no one had done before him. His victory was amazing, but I was equally inspired by two things he did on the way to accomplishing this feat.
In his press conference on Friday as reported by Dylan Dethier for golf.com
He was eager to finish chatting and requested through the PGA that he take only three questions. After those three questions — and one follow-up — he started to walk off before glancing to his right, where he caught a glimpse of longtime Augusta Chronicle scribe Scott Michaux. He turned back. “Scott,” he said. “I’m really sorry to hear about your dad.” It was a fundamentally decent moment and a kind thing to say to Scott, whose 94-year-old father had passed away a day earlier.
In the final round after holing a shot from the bunker on the 5th, on his way to the next hole, Mickelson gifts the ball to a young man, Kyler Aubrey who is confined to a wheelchair. According to his dad Josh
“When we were there, we could actually see a perfect view of Phil making the shot and we were just screaming. When Phil made it, he came up to us and said here’s my lucky ball, I want you guys to have it, thank you for coming,” Josh said. “…We were so in the moment that we didn’t even notice that Kyler had dropped the ball. Phil turned around and picked it back up and set it on his lap.
Not all of us live in the shoes of super stardom like Phil. But all of us have the ability to stop what we are doing and acknowledge someone else.
We are at one level all connected. By taking a moment to notice someone else, whether it is in their joyful moments or painful experiences, whether it is acknowledging a great accomplishment or simple just saying I see you, we are reinforcing that each of us matter. When we demonstrate that other people matter, it reinforces that you matter too. You are a contributor, you are connected.
It is so simple to stop and notice someone. In the height of intensity, with a mind focused on his results, Phil took a pause. And then he went back to the business at hand.
Over the next few days, see if you can find a time to pause and notice. Just acknowledge someone. Be careful not to try and fix them – that can be a tendency of someone who is a problem solver.
After you have done this, notice the bounce back effect this moment of grace has on you.