Slice of Life: March 7 -- It's the Hard that Makes it Great

Picture this: It's 7:00 a.m. on a summer morning.  It's early.  The grass is fresh with dew.  My muscles are stiff because I just got out of bed.  I load up a bag that must weigh fifteen pounds and make sure I have all the gear I need for the day.

Little wooden spikes? Check.

The pointed little tool?  Check.

The glove that slips on my left hand?  Check.

Clubs I'll later be swinging?  Check.

Believe it or not, this is my favorite way to start a summer day.  I don my polo shirt and shorts, put on my baseball cap, tie my shoes, slip on my glove, put my divot tool in my pocket, set the little white ball on the wooden tee, swing away, and begin hole number one of eighteen.

Ah, yes, the perfect day at the golf course has begun.

While perfect might describe my day at the golf course, it certainly doesn't describe my golf game.  It's true that sometimes golf is simply a good walk spoiled (that is if you walk and don't ride in a cart like I do).  Golf is truly the most frustrating, aggravating, and exasperating game I have ever played.  At the same time, it's the most addictive game as well.  I can have seventeen bad holes and one good hole and like a vacuum, I am sucked back in.  I can hit one good shot and I suddenly believe I am Tiger Woods.  I can play a bad round of golf and swear I'm never playing again only to be back at the course the next day, swinging away and getting drawn back in to the frustrating game that I just can't seem to quit playing.

Why then, do I love golf?  What makes me want to get out of bed at 7:00 in the morning during the summer on a 90 degree day to chase a little white ball with the goal of putting it in a little hole?  What keeps me coming back for more, even when I say I'm done with this crazy game that I both love and hate?

The answer?  It's the challenge.  It's the fact that it's not easy.  It's the fact I haven't mastered it yet (nor will I ever).  It's the fact that despite all the bad shots and terrible scores, I absolutely love the game.  I love that it's hard and that it pushes me to my limits.  Golf makes me think.  Golf makes me analyze.  Golf challenges me in a way no other sport or game ever has.  It's hard.  To quote Tom Hanks in the movie A League of Their Own, "It's supposed to be hard.  It's the hard that makes it great."

The truth is, most everything in my life that's been worth doing has been hard.  My job, which I love, is hard.  Getting my doctorate degree was hard.  Building a house was hard.  Even writing this blog has been hard.  But it's the hard that makes it great.  It's the satisfaction that comes with knowing I've accomplished something that was difficult -- that's what brings pride and, quite frankly, joy to my life.

Just like my golf game, there have been times when I've wanted to quit.  There have been times when I've questioned what I've gotten myself into.  There have even been times when I have questioned my ability to succeed.  I've felt not smart enough, not talented enough, not capable enough.  It's those times that I must remind myself that it's the challenge that comes during the journey that makes the destination so much sweeter.

In golf you sometimes get mulligans -- "do overs" where your shot doesn't count.  While helpful, they don't make me a better golfer.  They don't challenge me to make every shot count, to take each swing seriously.  The same is true with life.  I don't get any mulligans.  There are no "do overs."  There will be challenges and there will be times when you want to give up.  That's when I urge you to remember to embrace the challenge.  Look for opportunities to push yourself to do things you never thought you could do.  It won't be easy, but trust me, the reward is worth the effort.

Tee up the ball, take your best swing, and don't forget to enjoy the walk.