What follows is something I wrote a few years ago, and as we go into a new year, I thought it might be nice to revisit. I know in my business career, there might have been fewer scars if I had played my own golf course, so to speak.

I recently had dinner with a friend, who is a great golfer in his own right, and whose brother is one of the top PGA tour players. While we did not discuss the dynamics of the game, I thought to myself that, while these guys compete against one another, in a way, they compete against the course.

Good players learn how to put bad shots behind them, along with bad holes. The most successful concentrate on what they do best. They play their own game on the course.

Most have developed the just right rhythm to their own game. They size up the shots they can make and don’t worry about the shots of others. They know their strengths and weakness, and they play to their own strengths.

How many times have I gotten in a slump thinking about our competition–what they have and what they have accomplished? There are no winners in the comparison game. It’s more productive to focus internally. Our team ranks pretty well most of the time, and concentrating on others can and will be an impediment to success.