Daniel Skognes

Think about it.  We all get teed off from time to time.  There are strokes in both games.  We all have baggage, and we like having someone carry our bags for us.  We get to our destination by riding or walking. And we all have a handicap (some of us just won’t admit it).

I played golf for many years.  I never was very good at it, unfortunately.  I told people that I played Star Trek Golf, because my ball would go where no ball had ever gone before.  How can hitting a little ball with a club be so hard?

I worked on my swing. I worked on keeping my head down.  I worked on hitting the ball squarely.  Talk about STRESS.  Sheesh.  I had to remember so many things that I was lucky I ever connected.

You know what the worst part of the game was?  Hitting the ball off of the first T Box.  Why? Because not only were your friends watching you, but all the other golfers who were waiting in line to T off.  EVERYONE was watching you (at least you FELT that way).

So you take a few practice swings.  You line the ball up.  You put your head down, draw back the club and SWING.  In my mind, the ball was going to fly straight down the fairway for 250-300 yards.  Sometimes it did, but more times than not I either missed the ball altogether or it didn’t make it past the ladies T box.  Ridiculous, embarrassing, and humbling…all with one swing!  What happened?

The problem was actually pretty simple, but hard to correct.  I learned all the wrong things when I was still a kid.  My dad would take me golfing, and he was not a good golfer.  He tried to help me, but he did not hit much better than me, so I was reluctant to take his advice.  I never had a coach teach me the basic things correctly…and the very basics are the grip and the swing.  If you don’t know the basics and practice them over and over correctly, the rest is self-evident.

Practice does not make perfect.  Perfect practice makes perfect.  If you want to excel in anything, you have to learn the basics and be willing to apply them consistently and over time you will reap the rewards of attaining your goals.

Tiger Wood has a coach.  He also plays a LOT.  He works on his game continually, and pushes himself to not just SEE the ball…but to BE the ball.  There is a difference.  He is a champion because he does what most people are not willing to do.  He puts in the time and energy to his dreams, and he is focused on what he wants to do.  He does not let the problems of life keep him down.  He has had plenty of public scrutiny over his personal life, but you know what?  I respect the fact that he has picked himself up, dusted himself off, and got back in the game.  That is the heart of a true champion.

We all make mistakes.  We have all dropped the ball, or in some cases even lost the ball.  Don’t quit.  Take the penalty and get back in there.  The world is watching to see how you respond.  Choose to pursue winning, and compete with everything that you have to win the prize that is set before you.  See you on the links of life.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 6th, 2013 at 5:31 pm and is filed under Business, Motivational, Relationships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.