Health & Fitness
Disappointments Are Defining Moments
Day to day disappointments can have a cumulative effect on anyone who is trying to improve themself. Understanding what to do with those emotions keeps you in the game.
Near the end of the movie, “Tin Cup,” aging pro golfer, Roy McAvoy, attempts to land on the green of the 18th hole to win the biggest tournament of his life. Despite all the advice of those around him including his experienced caddy to play it safe and keep in the game, he goes for it only to watch helplessly as the ball falls into the pond.
He could still play it safe and tie, but he goes for it again, this time it lands on the green only to roll down the slope into the pond. Over and over he tries and each time it put him further from any chance to win. Finally, he succeeds in landing on the green, but losing the tournament.
After all the excitement dies down Roy explains to his caddy, “You know why I still hit that shot?” “Yeah, because it's the only way you could beat Dave Simms.” “No, I hit it again because that shot was a defining moment, and when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment... or the moment defines you.”
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What is your defining moment? Unlike the movies or sports events you may not be surrounded by crowds of cheering fans. You may be sitting there alone at your computer today trying to figure it out. "Did I make the right decision?" "Could I have done more?" Or going really deep you might ask yourself, “What is my purpose?”
Having a day of disappointment can put you into a deep introspective process of self evaluation from which you may be quite critical and feel like a failure. One day looks bright and hopeful the next leaves feelings of confusion.
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But here is what we can learn. It is only one day. At some point it becomes a matter of faith that what happens in one day is simply the preparation for the next big event. Consider setbacks as lessons to help us learn and be ready. They are experiments we tried testing a boundary to see if it can be pushed in new ways. Taking the emotional element out and replacing it with a more investigative vision helps us keep things in perspective. Disappointments help us to refine who we are and to build stamina for the big race. What you thought and what you felt is only the beginning of something very special you are to accomplish.
So don’t let the moment define you, you define the moment.
