Horseshoes or Field Goals?

What do you do with a missed goal? Do you give yourself a pat on the back for a good effort or redouble your efforts and try to better next time?

Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, I got to play fair number of games of horseshoes. I wasn't very good at getting ringers (where the shoe finds the metal stake), but I often ran up points by getting it close.

Field Goals on the other hand have to be made by kicking the ball completely through the uprights. Eagles fans will remember beating the Chicago Bears because of a field goal try that hit the left goal post and then the crossbar and never went through. We call it the double doink. It was close, but no points. Nothing. Nada. Eagles win.

Lots of professional golfers have missed goals. Every professional golfer wants to win the career Grand Slam. However, only five players have won all four majors: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen. There are many who got close, including Phil Mickelson (US Open), Jordan Spieth (PGA), Rory McIlroy (Masters), Arnie Palmer (PGA), and others. All the rest missed their goal. That's a lot of misses to deal with. But, we applaud them for the tournaments they won and ignore the rest.

So, what do I do with not achieving my goal of breaking 90 this Summer? I can accept that I got closer and work on it next year. Or, I can add three little letters "yet" and infuse that statement with hope. In other words, I haven't broken 90 YET. There are still opportunities to play and maybe achieve my goal. I'm going to fit in a few more rounds and see if I can break 90 or at least get closer to it.

How about you? What do you do with your missed goals? I'd love to hear from you. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the fairway.

Blessings,

Steve Sr