Golf

Went and played golf today with some folks who are about to graduate from seminary here. It was some good times. I had a few thoughts, but here is the one I wanted to share...

One of the things that has been shared with me over and over again by golfers far more skilled than me is you need to relax and swing easy if you want to be successful. I find that when I start to feel the pressure I grip down more and swing harder. The result is usually even more disastrous than previous shots in the round.

Am I wrong, or does life tend to work the same way? When you relax and swing easy you tend to be most successful. Yet in times of pressure I find myself bearing down more and trying harder, and things turn out even more disastrous than they already were. You meet a cute girl and you want to impress her and you end up trying too hard and either nothing comes out or you say or do something stupid to make you look bad. The stress builds up at work and so you try and buckle down but you end up with brain lock or a normal project takes twice as long as you anticipate. Or perhaps worse stress builds up at work and you try and keep it in, but then you come home and you let it all out on your family.

Relax...swing easy...