Sportscaster Mike Tirico greeted golfer Stewart Cink before the start of the 2009 British Open golf tournament with a friendly question: “Whatcha got this week?”

“I got nothing,” Cink replied.

Stewart Cink recounted the events that led up to what would be a fateful tournament for him in the book “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphey. The spring leading up to the 2009 major championship in Scotland had not turned out how Cink would have wanted. He did not score and finish well early in that golf year.

He decided to bring his family along for the British Isle trip and make the tournament more of a family vacation than a “work trip.” Cink spent the week before playing golf courses with his teenage kids, hanging out together – doing typical family vacation activities. He was not intentionally preparing for one of the biggest tournaments of the year the following week. In fact, he was enjoying this family time so much that he actually showed up a day late to the tournament, missing precious practice time.

What he didn’t realize at the time was that he was stumbling to a secret sauce for enabling high performance – contentment.

Cink said that he was so happy to spend time with his family and have them there to experience the country and the spectacle of the tournament that he was not focused on his specific outcome.

His contentment made him feel free to go out and play with the same joy as playing rounds with his family. With that as a backdrop, he started playing really well. The weather became a storyline in the 2nd & 3rd of four golf rounds with its trademarked British high winds and cool temperatures. Cink credits his mindset of contentment for his ability to not allow the external conditions bother him. He was simply playing golf. The result is that he found himself in contention to win the tournament late in the 4th round.

That’s when the real drama for the tournament began.

Tom Watson is a beloved hall-of-fame golfer – probably in the top 20 golfers in the history of golf. On that 4th round Sunday, Watson was in the lead as a 59 year old, which would have made him the oldest major winner by over 10 years at the time. It was shaping up to be one of the biggest sports stories of the year and certainly in golf.

Watson and Cink finished tied at the end of the tournament regulation – forcing a 4 hole playoff. The crowds at the tournament were hoping to see Watson win and be part of that history. Cink, instead of feeling the pressure of that moment, instead relished in the front row seat for Watson’s potential historic win.

Watson didn’t play his best and Cink kept his cool and landed him his first major golf tournament win.

Cink credits his feeling of genuine contentment during that week as the underlying foundation that allowed him to battle the ups-and-downs of the tournament and play his best golf. In some ways, he outlasted that competition, giving him a signature career win.

Apply Contentment to You

What can we learn from Stewart Cink’s experience? That week, he tapped into the joy of playing rather than the anxiety over results.

He was genuinely excited to see what Tom Watson was going to do, witnessing it almost as a fan rather than viewing Watson as the barrier between himself and his first major win. He felt little pressure to perform. He simply performed for himself.

How would you approach your business if you carried no expectations over your results? What if you found genuine contentment in doing activities rather than doing them for a result? How would you perform if you KNEW you couldn’t lose?

On that chilly Sunday in 2009, Cink knew he couldn’t lose. He wins the tournament or the fans and he gets to watch one of the greatest sports stories in history unfold before their eyes. So, he just played.

What mindset or perspective do you need to take to find joy & contentment in the activity without expectations or judgment?

Consider these possible perspectives…

• There’s only feedback. Every result only gives me the feedback to move forward.
• Everything is also working for me. No matter what happens, there’s either a short or long term benefit for you.
• People really only care about themselves. We think way more about how we THINK others react to us than how they actually react to us.
• Find the joy and love for the process. Fall in love with activities, not the results.

Any of these perspectives will help you find contentment on your journey. Consider adopting one or something similar of your choosing as a perspective over the next week. See what is different for you, how you perform and your results.

Through that feel and mindset of contentment, you’re able to find your peak performance. The mental interference diminishes and you’re left with only your best to put out on your field of play.