I don’t know how many of you watched the Masters golf tournament this year. I watched it sporadically on each of the days — hoping, like many others, that Tiger Woods would win one for his dad. He didn’t.

He put on a hard charge at the end. He certainly didn’t embarrass himself. And I am certain he gave it everything he had. But on the final day, he was not his best, or THE best.

THE best was Phil Mickelson. And I should begin by saying that I am not a Phil Mickelson fan. The early tag on Mickelson was that he was a “choker.” It took him 12 years to win his first Masters title — actually, to win his first major title.

And every year, I would listen to announcers introduce Mickelson’s play by saying, “No one has ever come in second more than Phil Mickelson.” What I heard them say was, “No one’s ever choked more than Phil Mickelson.” But finally, in 2004, he won the Masters. And then in 2005 he won the PGA Championship.

On the final day of this year’s Masters, and throughout the tournament, Mickelson looked like a champion. He had the look of a winner — on his face, in his walk and in the self-confidence that he displayed — both making shots and scrambling.

The lesson here is that success doesn’t just breed success. Success breeds self-confidence. And success gives you the feeling, once you achieve it, that you can achieve it again and again. Even if you falter along the way, once you’ve succeeded, you say to yourself, “I’ve been there. I know what it feels like. I can repeat it. I can do it again.”

What are the successes you’ve been trying for? How long have you been trying to reach them? How determined are you? How much are you studying and practicing to get there?

The success secret is: You have to visualize it, feel it, study it and do everything you can to experience it before you can make it happen for yourself and ultimately make it into a habit. It might take you 46 attempts to get your first big victory, but once you get it, you can get it again.

I wonder if any of you have the tenacity to lose 46 times and still emerge victorious. I wonder how many of you realize that, after 10 or 12 years of wearing the banner “loser,” you can emerge as a winner. A world champion.

What do you think Mickelson’s qualities were that finally got him that first big win after more than a decade of losing, or should I say a decade of trying?

Here are a few to ponder and measure yourself against:

1. He kept his eye on the prize.

2. His determination was unyielding.

3. He practiced every day.

4. He had a coach.

5. His self-belief kept him going.

5.5. And in the end, he proved he could win under pressure.

He didn’t just win a championship. He won what is considered by many THE championship. I think if you ask any golfer which of the big four championships he would prefer to win, “the Masters” would come out of every mouth.

Winning it once was proof to the world. Winning it twice was proof to himself.

If you’d like information on how to be more persistent, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time user, and enter the word PERSISTENCE in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of “The Sales Bible,” “The Little Red Book of Selling” and “The Little Red Book of Sales Answers.” President of Charlotte, N.C.-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com.