Be a Good Person First

Losing in anything stinks. It’s especially hard when millions of people watch it.

English golfer Tommy Fleetwood knows this better than most.

He started more than 130 PGA Tour events without a win in his professional career. Twice this year, he held the lead late in big tournaments, only to watch someone else raise the trophy.

For most people, that kind of disappointment breeds bitterness, negativity, and pessimism.

But not Fleetwood. After one gut-wrenching loss, in Memphis in the PGA Tour Playoffs, he said, “All these close calls, there’s no point in allowing them to have a negative effect. As disappointed as I am, I have to try to find the strength to make it all a positive experience.”

That wasn’t just talk. That was optimism in action.

Because optimism isn’t blind, it’s a belief that tomorrow can be better than today, and the persistence to keep going until it is.

Then, in the FedEx Cup Championship, the tournament with the biggest purse of the year on the PGA, Fleetwood finally won, and it came with a $10M first-place check.

When asked what it meant, he didn’t make it about money or even about the long wait. Instead, he offered us a lesson far more important than golf:

“Be a good person first.”

He continued, “My dad used to say, be a good person first and a golfer second.”

What an incredible reminder to us. Your profession matters. Your performance matters. But who you are matters most. If that wasn’t enough, your future goals and dreams get farther away if you choose pessimism over optimism.

Here is to being a fan of Tommy Fleetwood (But not in this year's Ryder Cup!)

P.S. Want to train your mindset in just 7 days? The Daily Optimism Blueprint is brand new, and it’s just for you. It’s a blueprint to help you build stronger self-talk and start each day with clarity. Get it here for only $17.

Check out the Optimistic Outlooks podcast and leave a review to help the show grow.