A BIG leap! Let the journey begin.
I am ready to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is a journey of purpose.
I am writing a book in early 2022 and I am going to use Substack to share the experience! This means that 1-2 times per week on average, I will be posting book excerpts, thoughts, research, AND interviews with some very special people! These posts are sent to your email so there is no need to go to a website to follow.
It is important to give some back story as to why I have taken this leap of faith and what the desired outcome of this journey will look like. So let’s dive in!
From a surface perspective, Substack is intended to provide a real-time experience of writing my book, “Purposefull Success.”
In the book, I will reflect on the identity of my own strengths and weaknesses accompanied with the mental and emotional roles that have played into my personal journey. It is not just my words and experiences that I feel will be the true value of the book, but also the interviews a few of the world’s top golfers, entrepreneurs, mental health professionals, and sports psychologists that I feel will provide the book relevance and appeal.
The incorrect spelling of “Purposeful” in the title is very much on-purpose. Not only does it introduce an acronym, "F.U.L.L.” , it also exhibits that even in discovering our true purpose, the result may not be as we thought it would be when we began. It’s better. It’s imperfectly perfect. A typo actually adds depth and beauty to someone seeking purpose driven success.
When we make life altering decisions, we begin to understand who we are. It is beautiful and ugly at the same time. For instance, in a single day I can imagine the outcome of this process and its impact it can have on others. An hour later, my insecurity and fear of stumbling into yet another failure seeps in like a cold draft through a window pane… slow and hardly noticeable at first, but once noticed, its all that one can think about. The truth is that this battle of beauty and beast is NORMAL. How about that? I am not alone and neither are you. We are complex beings gifted with the ability to problem solve, dream, rationalize, express empathy, and innovate. Those same beings can also be destructive, doubtful, close minded, hostile, territorial, and dream crushers of others.
Every single day, every person on the face of this earth has an internal battle of this vast emotional tool kit. It is the external release of that battle that determines the category of human. Emotional Intelligence is the understanding of an individual of their emotions and emotional responses. Some are better than others. While our personal pasts and experiences have impactful roles on who we become, our primitive selves seek comfort and safety. Those two safe harbors for our soul can provide a sense of peace, but it could come with a price. It can be Fool’s Gold. Comfort and safety are often most noticeable in a stationary state. Movement increases risk. Think about that for a second. When would you classify yourself as “comfortable?” At home bundled in the blankets and security of your bedroom? (Stationary) Or standing on the 18th tee of the 72nd hole of The Masters clinging onto a one-shot lead? (Movement)
Here is the fun part of this journey as we look at this scenario. How many of us have daydreamed about the latter scenario? Are any of us are truly motivated and driven by the former scenario? Does each scenario resonate with you at certain points of your life more so than others? THIS is what we are about to explore and learn.
There are people that we admire in the sport of golf that sit on that 18th tee and yet possess a feeling of safety and comfort of a bundled day in bed. Why? They have learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
Setting out to really look at what our “purpose” is supposed to be is incredibly uncomfortable. The more we venture into that mindset and lifestyle, the more uncomfortable life may become. And when we are already juggling the day-to-day responsibilities in life, adding a source of discomfort makes little sense. But its exactly where you will find your true self and where the magic begins to happen.
That’s why to achieve success through our purpose we must include the foundation of being F.U.L.L. When we are purpose"full" we are committed to the following:
My Purpose is only as strong as my Faith in my ability.
My Purpose is Unconditional.
My Purpose will Lead others.
My Purpose will be my Legacy.
If we can reprogram ourselves to this level of commitment, it will not be long before we are standing on the tee of our own personal purpose with a feeling of comfort and safety for we know that it is where we are supposed to be. This is such an poignant statement… “where we are SUPPOSED to be.” Tiger Woods is comfortable with the uncomfortableness of standing on that tee simply because he knows he is SUPPOSED to be there. Patrick Cantlay broke through last year because he began to believe he was SUPPOSED to be there.
So let’s all start there and think about this: Where are you right now in your life? Where are you supposed to be? How far apart are those two?
And abracadabra… you just built your first map to Purpose"full” Success.
I am not an expert. I am on this journey too. I am just choosing to document it because if I have discovered one thing about myself in the past year that is both my blessing and curse, it is that I tend to be comfortable being uncomfortable. But after years of being uncomfortable working for milestones that had little to do with my purpose, I am discovering a new comfort in knowing that I found my purpose, now I just need to give it FULL’ness and let that guide me to true success. I will be the explorer and the student to achieve this mission.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements of interviews with PGA/ LPGA golfers, amateur golfers, entrepreneurs, life coaches and more as we seek advice, guidance and experience to define “Purposefull Success.”
To read my first post, “The Power of Believe”, click here.
