Scotland’s Richie Ramsay realises how lucky he is to still be competing after 15 years on the DP World Tour.
He begins his year at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, having won his sixth tour title in July to help him finish 19th in the order of merit.
Ramsay is determined to avoid comparing himself with any other players in 2023, which he says is the “thief of joy”.
“I am still very fortunate after 15 years of being a pro. I love what I do,” the 39-year-old told BBC Scotland.
“I love going to the gym, I love going out and hitting balls and most of all I love competing.
“I need to look at it from the viewpoint there are a lot of people in this world struggling at the moment and I realise how lucky I am to be competing – that should ensure I enjoy this year. When you enjoy something it makes it 10 times easier.
“When you get older you get a little bit wiser, you understand things a little bit more, you don’t fall into the same traps you have done before.
“I am still hard on myself, I still get annoyed when I don’t play well – but I personally love that, because it shows there is still a fire there.”
Ramsay has set himself “some small goals” for 2023 – and “not comparing myself to anybody else” is one of them.
“It can be a dangerous thing because you can take joy in something and then you see someone do something that is way ahead of that,” he explained.
“Comparing yourself to others can be the thief of joy, and you need to watch out for that.
“A lot of people see others on social media and it is just a flash of their life. You need to take joy in the simple things, you need to love what you do.
“Social media can be great but it can be very dangerous, you compare yourself to other people.
“I need to be the best I can be, try and be great every day, do something that is difficult, come in with a good positive attitude and if I can immerse myself in those three things, I feel I can be in a good place.”
