Tiger Wood’s victory at the East Lakes Golf Club was definitely a story I wanted to write about. This was Tiger’s first victory since he won the Bridgestone Invitational in 2013, and he received a huge celebration from the crowd. It made me think about the challenges he has been able to overcome.
Tiger achieved a lot of success in college and as an amateur. He turned professional in 1996, and by the end of 1997, he had won three PGA Tour events, and his first Masters. He was the top ranked golfer in the world for many years. At the time, I didn’t really care for golf. I would never have watched it on television, but it was fascinating to see how much popularity he brought to the sport.
At the peak of his career, Tiger started to have some serious back problems that required several surgeries. And no one will ever forget his marital problems, and the countless numbers of women that came forth claiming they had an affair with him. This seemed to be the beginning of the end for his golf career.
Tiger came back in 2013 to win a few more tour events, but it was obvious he was not the same golfer that captivated the golf world. Since that time, it has taken a lot of hard work and determination by Tiger to put himself into the position he was to win another major tour event.
To me, there are some valuable life lessons we can learn from this. That’s why I wanted to write about it this week.
- No matter how much success you have, you should never take it for granted, or think it allows you special treatment or privileges. It also proves that celebrity status and public adoration is fleeting. A lot of the people that adore you will be the first to tear you down. I will admit at the time, I felt no sympathy for Tiger. To me, I felt he deserved everything he was going through. I realize now how unfair that was of me. I have no idea how hard being in that big of a spotlight would be.
- One of life’s best lessons is learning true humility. I have watched different people apologize for their actions, but you can tell it’s only because their actions have caused a negative effect on their careers and popularity. I felt that way about Tiger Woods at first, but you can tell this has made him extremely humble.
- No matter how far you fall, you can overcome anything with hard work and dedication. How many times did Tiger fall short on the golf course, and still continue to keep going. How many times did he suffer with back issues and could he have easily just given up? I truly believe his motivation isn’t to prove something to us as much as it was his need to prove something to himself.
I have gone through some setbacks with my training company, and there have been times it has been very discouraging. I will use this example to keep me motivated and working hard to make it a success. When it becomes a success, I will use this example to keep me humble and sincere. I will use it to help me be the kind of man my Angel Shannon is proud of. I will always LOVE AND MISS YOU sweetheart.
Next Week: A.S.P.E.C.T. training update
P.S. I started golfing about thirteen years ago. Although as many times as I hit it out of bounds, I call it golf ball hunting.