Mind Over Money | Golf taught me the same lesson as investing—stay calm after a bad shot: B Gopkumar

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Interestingly, these are the very qualities that define great sportspersons as well. In this edition of Mind Over Money, B Gopkumar, Managing Director & CEO of Axis Mutual Fund, reflects on how marathon running and his newly discovered passion for golf have shaped his approach to leadership, investing and life.

Drawing parallels between the golf course and the stock market, he explains why investors shouldn't let one bad decision derail their long-term financial journey.

He also shares lessons on resilience, patience, trusting the process and staying focused during volatile market cycles—principles that are as relevant for building wealth as they are for crossing the finish line. Edited Excerpts –

Q) Deep down, you describe yourself as an athlete. What does being an athlete mean to you beyond physical fitness, and how has that mindset shaped the person and leader you are today?

A)For me, being an athlete has never been just about physical fitness. It is about discipline, resilience and the willingness to improve every day. Sports teach you that results are rarely immediate. Progress comes from showing up consistently, putting in the effort and trusting the process.

Q) You have been into marathons for some time. What drew you to long-distance running, and what has running taught you about endurance, discipline and dealing with difficult phases?

A)I started my sporting journey as a 400-metre hurdler, where priority is speed & agility. The ability to make quick decisions, adapt to obstacles, and maintain momentum through every hurdle is what drives victory—both on the track and in the business world.

Marathon running attracted me because it challenged a completely different set of qualities. It is less about how fast you start and more about how well you sustain your effort over a long period of time.

Running has taught me that endurance is really about patience. A marathon cannot be completed successfully without disciplined preparation over many months. It has also taught me how to deal with difficult phases.

Every marathon has stretches where you feel tired, uncomfortable or uncertain. The key is not to focus on the discomfort of the moment but on the larger goal.

That lesson applies equally to life, leadership and investing. Difficult phases are temporary, but discipline helps you keep moving forward.

Q) Marathon running is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. When your body wants to give up, what does your mind tell you to keep you going?

A)The toughest moments in a marathon are often mental rather than physical. There comes a point when your mind begins questioning whether you can continue, even when your body is still capable.

In those moments, I remind myself of the preparation that got me there. The countless training runs, the discipline, the sacrifices, and the effort already invested.

I focus on taking one step at a time rather than thinking about the entire distance that remains. That approach works beyond running as well. Challenges often look overwhelming when you focus on the finish line.

But if you concentrate on the next step and trust your preparation, you usually find the strength to keep going.

Q) Markets, much like marathons, go through periods when the going gets tough. Do you see any parallels between completing a marathon and staying invested through volatile market cycles?

A)Absolutely. In many ways, investing is a marathon rather than a sprint. In a marathon, if you start too aggressively, you may struggle to finish well.

Similarly, chasing short-term market trends often comes at the expense of long-term wealth creation. Both journeys involve periods of discomfort. Runners face fatigue, difficult weather conditions and sometimes even "hitting the wall."

Investors encounter market corrections, economic uncertainty and volatility. In both situations, success comes from preparation and discipline. The runners who complete marathons successfully are usually those who trust their training and maintain their pace.

Likewise, investors who stay focused on their financial goals, continue their SIPs and trust the power of compounding are often the ones who build wealth over time. Temporary setbacks should not distract us from long-term objectives.

Q) You recently picked up golf. What attracted you to the sport, and how different has the experience been compared with the intensity and endurance of marathon running?

A)I recently started my journey in Golf, not a pro-golfer as yet. What attracted me to this sport is that it presents a completely different kind of challenge. Marathon running tests endurance, stamina and physical persistence over long distances.

Golf, on the other hand, is a game of precision, patience and concentration. What fascinates me about golf is that it constantly challenges your mindset. You can prepare well, take the right shot and still not get the desired outcome.

That unpredictability keeps the sport interesting and humbling. Compared to marathon running, golf is less about physical endurance and more about mental control, strategic thinking and maintaining focus over several hours.

In that sense, both sports are very different, yet they reward many of the same qualities, which is discipline, patience and continuous learning.

Q) Golf requires patience, focus and the ability to recover quickly from a bad shot. Has the sport taught you anything new about decision-making or handling setbacks?

A)One of the biggest lessons golf has taught me is the importance of staying present. A bad shot can affect your next few shots if you allow frustration to take over. The best golfers acknowledge the mistake, learn from it and immediately refocus on the next shot.

That is a powerful lesson in decision-making. Whether in leadership or investing, dwelling on past mistakes rarely helps. What matters is assessing the situation objectively, making the best decision with the information available and moving forward with confidence.

Golf has reinforced the importance of emotional control. Not every outcome will be perfect, but long-term success depends on how quickly you regain focus and execute the next decision well.

Q) If you had to apply one lesson from marathon running and one lesson from golf to managing money and building long-term wealth, what would they be?

A)From marathon running, the lesson would be: trust the process and stay the course. Wealth creation, like marathon running, is built through consistency, discipline and patience. The power of compounding works best when investors remain committed to their long-term goals rather than reacting to short-term market movements.

From golf, the lesson would be: don't let one bad shot dictate the rest of your game. Markets will go through difficult periods, and every investor will experience setbacks at some point.

What matters is not the setback itself but how you respond to it. Staying calm, avoiding emotional decisions and focusing on your long-term strategy often leads to better outcomes.

Together, these lessons capture the essence of investing: prepare well, remain disciplined, stay focused on the long term and don't allow temporary challenges to derail your journey toward financial goals.

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