Some Perspective On What Success Means

I played a round of golf yesterday.

I don't play a lot of golf. I never really cared for golf, but a work competition is coming up and I like playing sports so I thought I'd sign up and see how well I can hit a golf ball. I thought it could be a bit of fun.

So I've started practising and hitting balls most day this week.

All of a sudden I now care about golf. I care how well I hit the ball. I care about my handicap. I care about birdies and albatrosses and bogeys. A week ago I didn't care at all.

And every time I hit a bad shot, it bothers me. I've been sucked into a world and I've lost perspective of why I'm playing. I'm wasn't playing to win, or to prove anything to anyone. A week ago I didn't care how I played in golf. But I've forgotten that the reason why I started in the first place was to just enjoy going outside and seeing if I could progress and just making sure I have one more thing to add to my life. I've been sucked into the game and forgotten why I'm playing in the first place.

Maybe it's more of a commentary about my mentality. I focus on my bad shots - what I did wrong, how to fix them - more than I do my good shots. Is that a negative mentality? Maybe my mentality is the problem rather than the application (golf).

But a critical mentality is a good way to make progress. Without critical analysis, we can't learn very quickly. I remember listening to an Elon Musk video and him saying that we should actively seek out criticism because it's the best way to learn and move forward.

So what is the take-home message, after all this? The conclusion I come to is that we need to take on two mentalities in parallel. The first is the critical, focussed mentality of Elon Musk that helps us to reach our potential. The second is the mentality of stepping back and realising that the reason we do anything is to add enjoyment to our live. Not to lose perspective and get sucked into the game. Take life less seriously and just watch the rabbits run around, while the ball we've just pitched sky-high plummets gracefully into the nearest pond.