Golf and Life, A Story About Your Future Success

Preparing to tee-off on the par 4 tenth. (Internal dialogue, with a whisper) "Man! I've been playing my ass off all day and just barely making par." You swing, catch a nice one, slightly off center, but very long. Unfortunately, you get a terrible bounce; the ball shoots to the left and nestles down in the spaghetti of the deep Bermuda. (Internal dialogue) "I should have a 100 yard pitch shot to the green, instead it's gonna take every thing I have just to get it there." You hit a world-class, Tiger Woods like shot out of the rough. The ball looks beautiful in the air and it's just about pin high. You yell, "Bite!" The ball nearly hits the stick, bounces twice, but unfortunately releases off the green onto the back fringe.

Wow! Even after the bad bounce off the tee shot and the insanely good shot out of the rough you should have a gimme from about three feet. Instead you're gonna have to negotiate a 40-foot double-breaker just to try to nuzzle it up close. You take a deep breathe hit a nice smooth putt and watch for what seems like 1 minute and a half as the ball tracks toward the hole. (Internal Dialogue) "Man! That thing is tracking pretty well and with good speed. If this thing goes in, I'm gonna love myself so much." A very humble "Go in" leaves you lips, just loud enough for the rest of the group to hear. The ball rims the cup and spins out about four feet to the left. Aaaauugh!

(Internal dialogue?you summarize) "An amazing 300-yard tee-shot down the middle, takes a bad bounce and ends up in the rough. Then, a freakishly good shot out of the deep stuff almost hits the flagstick but releases some 40 feet pass the hole. To top it off, I hit possibly the best putt of my life. It tracks like a demon, but rims out heartbreakingly. And, the guys are not going to gimme this 4-footer either." You stand over you putt and confidently pound it into the back of the cup. Par's always good, but you feel you deserve better.

Whether or not you're an avid golfer you can relate to this story. We've all had times in our lives when we're trying so hard and executing very well, yet things are not going our way. Just hang in there. Soon, things will seem to magically go your way. You'll hit the "Zone" of life. You'll achieve more in just a few months than many achieve in a lifetime. The time will come very soon when your tee shots will have an extra 20 yards on them and straight. Your approach shots will consistently be pin-high, even in gusty wind. And, the hole seems to vacuum your ball on any putt hit even remotely close. It's coming baby! You're gonna fly like a birdie.

Delano Garner is the founder of Shades and Reflections, a resource site for healthy living. http://www.ShadesandReflections.com