As a high handicapper who took up golf later in life, the idea of carrying the ball over a long water hazard still sends shivers down my spine.  But when I first picked up the game, it was even more intimidating.  Would I swap out my Pro V1 for a range ball?  Yes.  Would I play a tee box closer to the hole?  Yes.  Would it make a difference?  No.  Just about every shot was a rock-skipping adventure ending in a watery grave.

Eventually, I improved and some of the anxiety melted away.  But there was one particular golf hole (the old 10th hole at Congressional Country Club) that forever remained a nemesis.  It featured 160 yards of carry into a postage stamp green fortified by bunkers in the back and a steep, shaved hill feeding to the water in the front.  I had too much pride to take out my driver, and I didn’t have a single other club that gave me a fighting chance for a dry outcome.

It became a recurring joke as I surrendered ball after ball. What’s your favorite movie?  Splash!  On a few good days, I would land the ball on the side of the hill, only to see it spin back into the water.  Ouch!  The drop area became my preferred tee box.  Would I ever break the curse?

But where there is effort, there is hope.  And where there is hope, there is endless possibility.  On one fateful day, I was feeling particularly good about my game.  My hard work was paying off and my distance was improving.  And I had a new club that provided extra comfort.  With that club in hand, I confidently sauntered up to the tee box, planted my least scuffed ball in the ground, and let it fly!

The contact was pure, the wind was favorable, and the ball flight was majestic.  This had a chance!  To my amazement, the ball flirted ever so briefly with the green before resting gently in the back bunker.  Dry as a bone! And that kicked off a raucous celebration worthy of a tournament-winning hole-in-one!

With adrenaline still coursing through my veins, I jumped into the sand trap eager to finish off this monumental accomplishment.  Facing the flagstick, I took a mighty cut and skulled the ball over the green, only to hear that familiar and haunting sound.  Splash!

Yes, I had conquered the beast, but, at the end of the day, the ball still ended up in the water!  Did the end result erase the accomplishment?  And does that apply to any of our accomplishments in business and life?

The Journey Matters

Perhaps we work hard to land a massive client, only to lose them a few years later.  Perhaps we finally win a big case, only to have it reversed upon appeal.  Perhaps we score the game-winning goal, only to have it reversed upon review.  Perhaps we forge an incredible relationship, only to have it end in heartbreak. Sometimes a great accomplishment can get erased in the rearview mirror of life.

But we can’t always define our lives by the final destination.  Experiences matter.  Memories matter.  The journey matters!  That is why celebrating our accomplishments with family, colleagues, and friends is so important!  It memorializes the win.  It ingrains that achievement into our psyche.  And it forever emblazons that feeling into our memory bank.

Keep Swinging

There will be times in our lives when we will need to draw on the power of those positive memories.    Sometimes things don’t go our way.  Sometimes a bump in the road can feel like a mountain.  Sometimes, it feels like we are never going to get back on track.  And that is where perspective can play a major role.

We have to win a client in order to lose one.  We have to win a case in order to have it reversed.  We have to compete and succeed in order to score a goal in the first place.  And we have to love deeply in order to experience a deep loss.  Resilience requires a belief in the possibility of success. That hope is borne in those moments of accomplishment and celebration.  And no one can take those memories away from us.

Yes, my golf ball ended up in the bottom of the pond.  But the celebration and feeling of success provided confidence and positive memories for a lifetime.  And that is why we have to hang in there.  Once we make it over the water one time, we can’t lose.