Who Are You and What Do You Want?

This choice of how you view yourself is the essence of the identity statement, the fourth tool in the mental workout. The identity statement is similar to the performance statement; it is a statement you can use to increase ability and develop a potent self-image. As pointed out previously, largely what determines people’s self-image is the things they continually say to themselves, and unfortunately, much of our inner dialogue regards what we can’t do rather than what we can do. Simply put, the individual who steps up to the starting line with a true belief in his or her ability to do well has a much greater likelihood of success than those who don’t have that mind-set. You can’t outperform or underperform your selfimage for long. The self-image will eventually regulate behaviors and outcomes to fall within the range of selfexpectation. Essentially, your self-image governs how successful you will become. If you truly believe in your capacity to triumph, then you will manage to make it happen. Conversely, if your self-image is low, you will unfortunately come up short of your potential no matter how hard you try. In 2007, Zach Johnson came out of virtually nowhere to beat the great Tiger Woods in one of the most memorable Masters Championships in history. The young man from Iowa took the country by storm with his ferocious competitiveness on the course. Off the course, Johnson endeared himself to golf fans with his genuine sense of humility. In a postvictory interview, he stated, “I’m Zach Johnson and I’m from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I’m a normal guy.”1 He also said of himself, “I don’t hit it far, I can’t overpower a course, but I think I am mentally tough.”2 He asserted, “Competition in general is just in my skin. It’s always been there. I really don’t care what it is; it can be the most subtle thing. I want to win.”3 Zach Johnson is not a client of mine, but when I read this quote of his, it confirmed the importance of self-image. Johnson started the final round of the 2007 Masters Championship two shots out of the lead and one shot behind Woods. He leaned on his competitive nature, mental toughness, and true belief in himself to overcome the odds and surge to a David-conquers-Goliath type of victory over Woods and the rest of the pack.