There once was a man named jneB. In his mid-thirties, he decided he was going to pivot and start a new, more intentional, more conscious life. A large piece of that life was that he wanted to play golf every day. And so he did.
Along the journey, he kept getting asked lots of questions.
What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to be a tour player? How do you make money playing golf?
He just kept his head down and kept working to get better. He made some changes and got worse for a little while, but then he get better again. Then he made a few more changes, got worse again, and then started getting better again.
But the questions kept coming. Are you trying to play golf for a living? How many followers do you have on social media? You’ve never had a hole in one?
Meanwhile, he just kept grinding and enjoying doing what he wanted to do every day, which was play. His son joined him some days to play, and while some might consider this a distraction to his getting better, jneB cherished it and saw it as an enhancement to his day.
But the questions kept coming. How much longer is this going to take? Are you really getting better? Are you still enjoying this?
Meanwhile, he kept grinding, kept playing some of the world’s beautiful courses. He played in Iceland, Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Texas, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, West Virginia, Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. He played in Mexico again.
But the questions kept coming. What would you consider success along this golf journey? How many days in a row have you played? How many more days is this going to last?
Meanwhile, he kept playing golf. Aside from hurricane days, travel days, and injury days, he played or practiced every single day. 450+ days in, he had broken par multiple times. He had broken 70. He had become a plus handicap. He even had achieved one of the rarest achievements in the sport, an albatross. Most importantly, he had learned an immense amount about himself, what he wanted in this life, and his place in the world.
But the questions and comments kept coming. You are a long ways away, aren’t you? You really aren’t THAT good. Are you in a slump? Surely this must get boring?
After a while, he begin to wonder to himself. I appreciate the support and curiosity, but it’s an interesting place, this world. I’ve finally summoned the courage to get off autopilot and pursue a very intentional internal journey, one that directly or indirectly could be extremely helpful to other people. But I think some folks are entirely missing the point, still focused on some specific external outcome. The end is totally irrelevant. As long as I keep grinding, keep a good attitude, and stay open to life, I promise beautiful outcomes will keep happening. To what extent, that’s out of my control.
Finally, he got a question that he felt compelled to respond to. jneB, you really are trying to live your BEST life, aren’t you?
So he spoke up. BEST life? I don’t know about you, but this is my ONLY life, and I finally learned to treat it as such.
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Have a great week.-jneB
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