Success vs. Joy
- XXXI -
It is the Stroke that Gives You Joy
When I compiled my world record break of 1,276, I knew I had made four strokes that were not pure. Those four strokes did not give me the joy the other 500 strokes did. I vividly remember that quartet. In particular because I knew I had not executed them properly.
When I play golf, which is really not my core competence – it is different. I remember that one stroke out of a 100 which was perfect and do not dwell on the other 99.
Trophies and videocassettes of my matches may remind me of victories, but I can never record or preserve for posterity the inner joy that I experienced while playing. In the ultimate analysis, joy is finding your own uniqueness and being able to express this uniqueness through a perfectly executed stroke.
Here’s an example of a woodcutter. How does he experience joy? It would be when he hits his sweet spot – that is the moment when his axe hits the trunk of the tree at the exact angle with the right strength. The way the woodcutter breathes, his physique, and the way his body is aligned have all got to come together in one perfect, synchronized, effortless motion. He does not have to worry about the movement of his arm or his wrist. He is focused on the point of contact.
Think for a moment what the same woodcutter would do if you were to offer him five times what he is earning to do a completely different job for the rest of his life – perhaps laying bricks. He may take up your offer and be tempted by the
enhanced lifestyle. Indeed, he may even end up becoming a proficient bricklayer.
If, however, his heart and his soul were not in his new job, he would not be able to hit the sweet spot again and again. Ask the woodcutter who reluctantly became a bricklayer, “would you like to be successful on our terms and conditions or would you like to experience joy on your terms?”
His answer should be obvious. But how he acts after that is still not clear. Once again, knowing the path is not the same as walking the path.