Success vs. Joy

- LXXVI -

Hitch Your Wagon to a Star

Success is measured by what others are doing or not doing. If one person sprints 100 meters in 12 seconds and another in 11 seconds, then the latter is considered more successful than the former. However, both would be considered unsuccessful when compared to the Olympian who sprints the 100 meters in 10 seconds.

Our immediate environment confines. That is why our benchmarks get pegged at rather low levels. They are usually based on standards that have already been set.

If you wish to improve your game dramatically, you have to practice. The more you practice, the better your performance is likely to be. Golfers who want to reduce their handicap end up hitting balls at the driving range. Golf is a sport where you execute 80 or 90 strokes after playing on the course for a full day. A professional golfer would, however, typically practice for two-and-a-half hours and hit a few hundred balls before he even thinks of getting on to the course. For him, the joy is in perfecting the swing and that is achieved by striking practice balls and not necessarily by playing the full round of 18 holes.

Is practice sufficient to improve the quality of your game? Yes, but with a caveat. You have to be willing to practice continuously and with full concentration. Otherwise, the standards of your game cannot be maintained. If you think that while playing golf, you are also going to network and cut deals, the chances of becoming a good golfer are remote. You have to give the game your best.

Chapter LXXV :: Chapter LXXVII