I played golf with a friend the other day and it reminded me of how passionate I used to be about anything that had to do with the game of golf. I played every chance I got, I worked at a golf store, I researched, tested and bought new clubs. While many of my peers seemed to have a modest interest in the game, looking back I feel that it consumed me in both good and bad ways.
It’s been my belief that you have to forget about a lot of things to excel at one thing. There is a metaphor for success that involves a stove top with four burners. To excel in any one area, one must shut off two of their burners. The burners, which represent different areas of one’s life, are:
- Work
- Health
- Family
- Friends
Looking back at certain times in my life, I’ve turned off or turned down different burners at different times.
High School Golf
Sacrifice: Golf being work, I turned down friends and family. Friends by choosing to hit golf balls on summer afternoons instead of beaching it with them. Family by creating a vacuum around me – time at the dinner table discussing my play, money spent on travel, lost work time, and mental anguish as I plodded my way around each course.
Takeaway: Being great takes hard work, time, and sacrifices by those around you. I had a tremendous amount of support that I took for granted. Thinking about this now, I have a greater appreciation for the endurance required to be a parent.
Ruckus
Sacrifice: I turned off health. That’s really all I can admit to turning down, although, for the first time in my life, I was living in another state from my family and probably could have called/written/whatever more often. But this was a health sacrifice. I worked myself into the ground after five months, ended up with mononucleosis, and gained weight.
Takeaway: It took until my second year in law school to give in to working out regularly and eating well (or at least better). Now when I overeat or eat too much junk, it pisses me off because I know I’m not doing what is right for my body. I’m sure we’ve all heard this before – that our bodies are holy sacred places. Who wants fast food in a place so dear?
The point of all of this is that we make different sacrifices at different times in our lives. It’s healthy to recognize where we are lacking and that it’s impossible to keep four burners on high year after year. I’ve never been able to do it. What can be done is to seek moderation in all four areas, and be willing to sacrifice in any one area if necessary.