“Be careful what you wish for because you might get it”. I’m sure you’ve heard this saying before but it rings true more often than you might think. I once heard a lady say that she had wished and prayed to have time off from her job. She had been overworked, stressed out and burned out. I saw the same lady a year later and she relayed to me how she would never again wish for time off. Shortly after our last meeting, she was involved in a pretty bad automobile accident and forced to miss work for 6 months due to injuries. She further said that she had learned her lesson and would be much more specific when making any future wishes.
It seems that in sports, some love to pull for the underdog or Cinderella story. But what happens when Cinderella becomes the yearly favorite to be the Belle of the Ball? I’ve watched many college football teams play the role of David in a touted David vs. Goliath match up. It’s almost always true that the longer the favored team allows the underdog team to hang around, the more the momentum and crowd support turns to the perceived weaker team. Teams and players who are not expected to win have nothing to lose while the team or player who is suppose to win, especially by a big margin has nothing to gain and everything to lose. This is why you often see a football team who isn’t suppose to win, pull out every trick play and gamble imaginable in an effort to win but it’s also the reason that some of these same teams become boring and predictable after they achieve success.
This brings me to what’s really on my mind. Let’s take the movie Tin Cup for example. Many of us love this movie and it’s a tale of an Average Joe (driving range owner) making it onto the big stage. A rags to riches story is usually popular. I’ve met people with tons of talent or who have been blessed with the financial means to pursue the game or career that they love and yet, they don’t realize how blessed they are. I have met many golfers and Long Drivers who will never hurt for money and yet, they long to be a Tin Cup character. My question is, why on earth would you wish for underdog or Tin Cup status when you already have a huge financial advantage? People want to be the underdog overachiever but they don’t want the salary that accompanies the struggle. There’s nothing wrong with having money and regardless of how you get there, success is success. If you’re financially able to not work but can train and practice at will, you should use that advantage to it’s fullest and not be ashamed of your financial status. An underdog or Tin Cup story line might seem sexy but it’s working without a net and when it fails, there’s no bank account or inheritance to fall back on. The wealthy wish for a sexy story and the hard knocks players wish for wealth and fame. No matter what your path is, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Wishing for a hard luck story might very well net you a riches to rags result and wishing for success without ever applying yourself to be the best you can be is nothing more than wishful thinking. No matter what your station in life is, find a way to be happy with who you are and when success finds you, embrace it with both arms open wide.
MobyMatt
Shark Attack Golf