To be the best, you have to...

To be the best, you have to believe you're the best and do your best when it matters the most taking advantage of the opportunities before you. The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity. Mental fortitude and timing are essential.

"To be the best, you have to beat the best" is one of the most overused cliches in sports. I doubt those who become the best for any duration of time actually use this mantra. To be the best, you might never have to face the "best." The best focus on controlling what they can control. You cannot control who you compete against and you cannot control being labeled the obscure label of the best. You can control your attitude and effort, though. Externally focusing on the process and remaining positive rather than fixating on the outcome is the first step to unleashing your potential. Strive first to be your best and do your best.

It all sounds a little New Age, doesn't it? Like the person who says winning isn't important is probably the guy who is losing regularly, right? Make no mistake, winning is important and focusing on it helps fuel the desire to be the best. However, if the outcome supersedes the process, disappointment is almost sure to follow against the stiffest competition.

Every year I watch the final day of The Masters on television. Actually, I watch as much of the tournament as I can starting with the par-3 challenge on Wednesday. In recent years, the "best" golfer didn't win the tournament if world ranking and earnings are our measuring stick. Previous success is not much of an indicator, either. The winner is the individual who plays the best golf on Sunday when all the chips are on the table. The past 14 major championships have been won by 14 different golfers. 11 of the last 12 are first time major tournament winners. This year's Masters winner, Bubba Watson, played great on his way back to the clubhouse and stole a green jacket. When it came down to it, he had to beat Louie Oosthuizen - hardly the "best" golfer in the world - in a sudden death shoot out. Both are great talents, but not in the conversation of the best golfers on the planet, yet. Watson didn't have to beat the best, he had to play his best when it mattered most and believe he was capable of winning. It was a battle within himself - maintaining composure, focusing on the next shot and not allowing outside distractions to get the best of him. Sure, he finished ahead of the top golfers in the world, however, it wasn't about beating the best. It was all about him being his best.

Being the best and winning are not synonymous, so it's not about beating a specific opponent. You can be the best and not win or win and not be the best. Additionally, you can win without being your best and you can be your best and still not win. It's the nature of sports and one of the most important elements of it. It's why they play the games. if it was about beating the best, we wouldn't be captivated by people like Bubba Watson.

In the wrestling world, this cliche gets hammered because it's an individual sport. Henry Cejudo won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2008 and was not the best wrestler in his weight class. They don't give gold medals for the best, they award the individual who beats all of the opponents he faces. Cejudo won four matches and didn't have to beat Besik Kudokhov. Kudokhov is arguably the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world today. He has been king of his weight class every single day since 2006 except for that one day Cejudo put everything together at the most optimal time. Cejudo has never defeated Kudokhov, yet he has a gold medal and Kudokhov doesn't. Kudokhov has five world gold medals, though. Truth be told, Cejudo was never close to beating Kudokhov. In Beijing in 2008, that wasn't the objective, though, was it? Cejudo controlled what was within his control. If he had to beat the best to be the best, there would have been another match following the championship finals. Beat the opponent in front of you and seize the opportunity when it's there.

On the flip side, I went to Russia in 2005 to seek out one competitor - Alan Dudaev. He was the reigning world champion at my weight class. I remembered the cliche to be the best you have to beat the best. In a friendly dual meet in Vladikavkaz, I beat Dudaev 0-3, 1-0, 1-1 in a match that was meaningless to him. I have a healthy perspective on that match today. Dudaev was fresh off a world gold medal and was in the middle of technical phase in his training schedule. He focused on one skill during our match (and scored 3 points on it in the first period). I caught on to his tactics and stayed away from it and he was unsuccessful the final two minutes. I scored in the clinch and on a push-out. That situation did not make me the best even though I "beat" the best (don't try to take that away from me...).

To be the best, you don't have to beat the best. You have to believe you're the best and take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of you while controlling only what you can control.