HOW TO KILL SELF-ESTEEM!

Observation of the Day!

January 24, 2008

Anyone who knows me knows I love golf. Why? I don't know. I guess the beauty is in the camaraderie on the golf course and being out in the fresh air. It certainly is not because I am a good golfer.

In today’s world it is hard to understand that our high schools still have golf teams. School administrators are always worried about self-esteem issues. There is no game in the world that can dash your self-esteem into the ground like golf. It is a game filled with self-flagellation. After a bad shot, words like, “You stupid idiot or “What was that, you jerk?”, and other self depreciating exclamations can be heard from long distances.

Some of the beauty of the game lies in the frustrations of continuing failure occasionally interrupted by those brief flashes of success. It’s that little success that keep you coming back.

At seventy-four Arnie Palmer still plays golf nearly everyday. His game is no longer competitive at the professional tour level, but everyday he tries to find a little quirk that will get him closer to that high level he once enjoyed. Golfers at all levels know this feeling. I have never found those quirks, but I keep looking. There is always a nagging feeling that you could have done better, no matter what your level of play. Perfection is always the goal and perfection is always unattainable by human standards -- even the professionals. Par golf isn’t even perfection. Perfection would be eighteen holes-in-one -- unattainable infinity.

Several years ago my friend, Loren Morey, moved to Seattle to become president of a Japanese seafood company. Loren’s life was “business” almost every waking moment. His wife, as well of some of his friends, had always urged him to take up something besides business as a hobby. He always vowed to fly his plane more, but seldom did. He had reluctantly and not seriously played golf at various business meetings because everybody else did. He finally took up the sport with his usual focused zeal. He joined a top Seattle country club, bought a set of Calloway golf clubs, took lessons and practiced faithfully.

One day he was on the driving range at his club searching for the formula for golfing success. A man set up behind him and began to hit some balls. My friend didn’t pay much attention to him except for the noises of golfing frustration emitting behind him. During a brief pause in his own practice, he turned and saw that the man was Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, hacking away. Bill Gates is known for complete focus and dedication to his business.

Gates was recently married, and I’m sure his wife, just like Loren’s, constantly urged him to find a form of relaxation and leisure separate from the stresses of the business world. This is a man, who once wrote a column on biotechnology, “Biotechnology is not my line of work, but I enjoy following the progress as a hobby.” BIOTECHNOLGY AS A HOBBY??? Bill, you really do need a hobby!

So there was Bill Gates, moaning and groaning through the frustrations that forever are part of the game. Golf is humbling to all who attempt to play it -- even the richest man in the world. Golf is a great equalizer. Perhaps more people should take up the game.

A short article in the Minneapolis StarTribune on September 14, 1996, told of Bill Gates winning low net honors in a scramble in the Wayne-Dalton/Richard Karn Celebrity Golf Classic in Seattle. The prize was a couple of Wayne Dalton garage doors. Bill’s new house has a 36 car garage. He’ll need to win again next year and many more years to come.

Keep your head down and have a nice day!

Sam