Geoff Greig: Second Chapters; How I Reinvented Myself In The Second Chapter Of My Life
An Interview With Pirie Jones Grossman
Limiting beliefs will always be there. There will always people who know more about teaching sport. There all will always be people who know more about the neuroscience of performance. There will always be people who know more about the psychology of performance. There will always be people who know more about focus training and meditation. Which means limiting beliefs will always be hanging around in the background. What has allowed me to go forward is the knowledge that my playing experience, coaching experience, and research knowledge in all the different aspects of mental training for sport gives me a unique perspective and the confidence to know that I can help people in a way that few people can.
Many successful people reinvented themselves in a later period in their life. Jeff Bezos worked in Wall Street before he reinvented himself and started Amazon. Sara Blakely sold office supplies before she started Spanx. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a WWE wrestler before he became a successful actor and filmmaker. Arnold Schwarzenegger went from a bodybuilder, to an actor to a Governor. McDonald’s founder Ray Croc was a milkshake-device salesman before starting the McDonalds franchise in his 50's.
How does one reinvent themselves? What hurdles have to be overcome to take life in a new direction? How do you overcome those challenges? How do you ignore the naysayers? How do you push through the paralyzing fear?
In this series called “Second Chapters; How I Reinvented Myself In The Second Chapter Of My Life “ we are interviewing successful people who reinvented themselves in a second chapter in life, to share their story and help empower others.
As a part of this interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Geoff Greig. Geoff’s passion is to help people understand and strengthen their Mental Game, improve their performance and have more fun doing what they love. A few of the experiences that made up the journey towards his second chapter are: Pro Athlete in Soccer and Golf, Award Winning PGA Teacher, Award Winning Mental Game Instructor, Motivational Speaker, Best Selling Author, Ski Racer/Freeskier, and Tennis Player.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I grew up in a small town in Vermont. My dad was a soccer and tennis coach at the University of Vermont and that had a big influence on my life. For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a professional athlete.
Can you tell our readers about your career experience before your Second Chapter?
I had three sub chapters in Chapter 1. 😊 Sub chapters one and two were playing professional soccer and professional golf. They were briefer chapters than I would have liked but both were wonderful experiences and struggling with the big challenges inherent in each pursuit helped form the foundation for the 2nd chapter to come. Sub chapter 3 was being a PGA golf teaching professional. It gave me great insight into human nature and was the springboard and the inspiration for my 2nd chapter.
And how did you “reinvent yourself” in your Second Chapter?
After teaching golfers for 15 years, I discovered that I could help them improve faster and play better by showing them how to improve their mental game. This came as a result of applying some basic Tai Chi principles to my golf teaching. Up to that point Tai Chi had been for my own personal meditation and personal development. Once I discovered the joy and power of using the mental game to help people have more fun doing what they love that triggered more research and exploration of how to apply the mental game to sport.
What did you do to discover that you had the skill set inside of you that you had not been maximizing? How did you find that? How did you ultimately overcome the barriers to help manifest those powers?
The discovery of the skill set came from reflection on the failures that I had experienced in my professional sports careers. I searched my own experiences in soccer, golf, and skiing for the challenges that I had struggled the most. Recognizing those challenges from my past and being able to recognize those same challenges in my current students gave me an empathy for their situation that was to become the core of what I do going forward.
Did you ever struggle with believing in yourself? If so, how did you overcome that limiting belief about yourself? Can you share a story or example?
Limiting beliefs will always be there. There will always people who know more about teaching sport. There all will always be people who know more about the neuroscience of performance. There will always be people who know more about the psychology of performance. There will always be people who know more about focus training and meditation. Which means limiting beliefs will always be hanging around in the background. What has allowed me to go forward is the knowledge that my playing experience, coaching experience, and research knowledge in all the different aspects of mental training for sport gives me a unique perspective and the confidence to know that I can help people in a way that few people can.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started in this new direction?
During my PGA golf teaching career, I always felt more comfortable working with people one on one. The personal connection of understanding the communication and learning style needs of each individual student felt like the most effective way to help them achieve their goals. However, when I started evolving my business into mental game training, I was asked to speak to a few large groups about mental game training. This happened totally by accident and brought to the surface a part of me I did not know existed. I discovered that I really enjoyed getting a crowd excited about what they can do to change their relationship to sport and in some cases their lives. I always thought of myself as an introvert. Who knew how much I would enjoy informing and entertaining crowds? 😊
In my own work I usually encourage my clients to ask for support before they embark on something new. How did you create your support system before you moved to your new chapter?
At first, I took it slow. I introduced the mental game concepts gradually to golf clients that I had a comfortable relationship with. Over time I expanded to other sports and to new clients/groups/organizations.
What was the biggest lesson you learned about yourself?
I have been given a gift of the ability to communicate new and complicated concepts to people in a way that they can understand and relate to. I have no idea where the gift came from, but I certainly enjoy using it to help people.
How is your new initiative doing today?
It is gaining traction. I have online courses that are being well received and my consulting business is growing.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started leading my organization” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Listen first and foremost.
Say as little as necessary.
Connect with like-minded people.
Seek out clients that you love working with
Get a little better at what you do every day.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
