Today was my first round of golf in 2018. It is always fun to know I can still hit the ball, but I am also aware there is so much room for improvement. I was not surprised by that at all and really am ok with that as well. I am far from a perfectionist and have only played golf for the last few years, but I do enjoy that so much of a good golf game is about my level of concentration and focus on the details of proper form and habits.
Today in the excitement of being on the course again, I found myself making the same mistakes over and over. I began to pay attention to the details. Is my grip right? Are my feet positioned right? Is my distance from the ball right? About halfway through the first 9 holes, something clicked. I realized I was overswinging, in my desire to hit the ball long and far, I was swinging too hard. It took me a few holes to adjust, and I began to feel the difference when I didn’t try to swing so hard. When I gave it less power in my swing, I would actually hit it further.
I wonder if you can identify with that feeling? Have you ever tried too hard for something you desired? Did you experience that when you just give it what you have to offer, your results were actually better?
It is not only in golf that I know this feeling. I can relate to this in other areas of my life as well. I have worked too hard sometimes at making friendships happen, I have tried to hard sometimes to unite a group of people, I have offered too much goodness sometimes, instead of empowering someone to struggle on their own and find their own strength.
What I was reminded of on the course today was not new to me and reminds me of this truth:
