At age 29, McIlroy is trying hard to make his life more than just an extension of the golf course. He seems to be succeeding. He mentioned Essentialism is what helped him learn to say “no”. Here’s the quote from the article.
He added: “The biggest thing I had to do to get to that point was figure out what could I remove from my life to make my life more simple.”
McIlroy said he found his own guide for pruning his life in the book, “Essentialism,” by Greg McKeown, with a subtitle that reeled McIlroy in: “The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.”
“It helped me learn to say, ‘No,’” McIlroy said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/28/sports/golf/golf-ryder-cup-mcilroy.html
In the article Greg adds…
McKeown said he understood what McIlroy meant. Both people and corporations, he contended in an interview, tend to start out with a clarity of purpose that fuels their success. But the realization of their ambitions can trigger an avalanche of opportunities and options that become obstacles in their path.
“What makes this so hard for a pro athlete like Rory or others is they have to start saying no to amazing opportunities that a year ago they almost certainly would have given their right arm for,” McKeown said. “When he says he has to learn to say ‘no,’ what he means is he has to say ‘no’ to better and better opportunities just to be able to stay sane and do his work.”
You can read the full article by going here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/28/sports/golf/golf-ryder-cup-mcilroy.html
The post New York Times: Rory McIlroy Is the Golfer Who Juggles. Or Is it Vice Versa? appeared first on Greg McKeown.
