What 9 Holes of Golf Taught Me

It’s funny how simple things, like 9 holes of golf, can expose my priorities and create an opportunity to renew my heart and mind. Yesterday was a good example.  I pulled up to play a round of golf and the back 9 was closed due to flooding. I immediately felt frustrated because this was not what I signed up for and it felt like my day was ruined. It quickly exposed two things to me.

·        My priority was to validate and prove something with an official score (fixed mindset), rather than attempting to learn and get better (growth mindset)

·        My focus was on winning, rather than connecting

 It is amazing to me how many insignificant things I look to for value and meaning. Many times I have let an unmet expectation ruin my day. Although, this time I was encouraged by being able to course correct. Letting go of my expectations, I decided to practice and for the first time I can remember I did not write down a score, even dropping a few extra balls and trying different clubs than I normally would. I looked to connect and see how others were doing rather than being focused on my performance. It turned out to be a great day even though I didn't have an official score to determine if I succeeded. Even better, when I got home the renewed perspective and additional time allowed me to spend the afternoon in the pool with my daughter. I couldn’t have planned a better day and I was close to throwing it all away because it was not going the way I wanted it to.

This is just one small example of what renewing heart and mind means to me.

Do you have an example to share? I think it is great when we encourage each other on our journey.