This past Wednesday five from my family went putt-putting at the kind of course that when people ask when it was founded, “back in the day” is the common response - and everyone nods with clear understanding.
And while their choice of decor pales in comparison to the newly launched, pirate-themed putt-putt course just down the road, the course lacks for nothing when it comes to good ol’ fashion golf drama.
In our 18 holes of putt putt, it was my 92-year-old grandma who provided the drama by putting two holes-in-one.
Two!
She managed to get her ball perfectly through the legs of a badger(?) and then, later, a windmill.
(The red ticket is the free round of putt-putt she won for her first hole-in-one.)
I saw both of them first-hand, and the thing that most impressed me was that neither one was a fluke. In fact, none of grandma’s putting strokes were errant, haphazard, or pure luck.
Instinctively, she knew how to let her putter hit the ball with the kind of delicate precision that was…
Less mechanical and more fluid.
Less push and more tap.
Less hit and more kiss.
Very practically, it was a swing born of many other putt-putt and golf outings alongside family over the course of 9 decades. It was also a swing born of decades lived with a certain patience, steadiness, and rhythm. In many ways, it was a swing emblematic of a way of being.
And the thing about that kind of swing? You can’t just up and have it overnight.
—
Many are the endeavors, hobbies, and projects into which we launch ourselves in life. We may not say it aloud, but often our hope is that maybe we can make a hole-in-one right off the bat! Maybe we’ll be the one who…
Starts a company that is making millions within the first year!
Publishes a best-seller on our first go!
Proves so exceptional that we find ourselves ascending unto the C-Suite in record time!
Delivers the project, speech, or masterpiece that stuns the company-or-crowd - and on one of our very first attempts!
Invests with such savvy that our retire-by-date moves forward by two whole decades!
Throws something out to the TikTok universe and discovers 1 million followers overnight!
Often, we hold to this secret hope because, after all, isn’t that how others arrived to their moment?
I recently read some of the story surrounding the fame-and-success of fashion mogul, Tory Burch. The Oprah Show called and invited to her to the show in 2005, and the day after her Oprah interview, Burch’s website had 8 million hits - marking an immediate and stunning increase in sales and recognition.
(Photo by Nicola Styles on Unsplash)
“The media called it an overnight success,” Burch said about that moment during a commencement speech at Babson College. “I guess that made sense - if you didn’t count the 20,000 hours we put into building the business up to that day, or the combined half a million hours we all spent learning the industry in the years before that.”1
The world saw a hole-in-one.
Burch knew the truth was actually found in the thousands and millions of hours of putting greens and practice tees.
And it is the same in every aspect of life.
We do not race to the top of our field, our goal, or our dream powered by a sudden burst of desire-and-passion. We show up first thing in the morning. And take the next step in the right direction. And then the next.
Putting greens.
We do not publish our first (or second, third, fourth…) video, book, song, piece, podcast or photo unto accolades around the globe. We type a page.2 Or shoot a first scene. Or mess with a new medium. Or try a few lines. Then edit. Then publish something that 8 people view on Youtube.
Putting greens.
We do not wake up one day steadfastly grateful in-and-out of season. We write a thank you note today. And say a thank you prayer tomorrow.
Putting greens.
We do not suddenly become an eminently generous person. We donate an amount that stretches our comfort level. And help out when the meal train email arrives to our inbox.
Putting greens.
In time - in more time than we’d like and less time than we might imagine - a kind of muscle memory takes over as we keep showing up to the greens that matter most to us.3 A subtly of movement, wisdom, and ability becomes apparent to those around us.
They marvel at the fluidity. They gasp in amazement at (another!) hole-in-one.
What it is, of course, is the gift unvarnished back-in-the-day wisdom at work:
One day at a time.
Putting the greens when no one is looking.
For the endeavors and values we hold dearest, building the muscles.
So…
What’s keeping you on the greens today?
What’s the next putt?
Be assured, with each putt, your Singular Swing is coming together - and those younger (and older) than yourself will see it. And eventually discover a renewed desire to find their Swing, too.
Excerpt from Hidden Genius: The Secret Ways of Thinking that Power the World’s Most Successful People by Polina Marinova Pompliano, 217.
Chilean author Isabel Allende summarizes the wisdom most authors offer when it comes to successful, inspired writing: “Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too.”
Notably, it is important to discern which greens matter most to us. Because, of course, this wisdom runs in the opposite direction. We can (and do) build muscle memory around bad or unhelpful habits, too.
What an inspiring wonderful woman your grandma is ... and you.r wonderful encouragement and perspective. Sometimes I think, I'm too old, too busy, too...... to step up and try over and over again something that has not been easy up to this point. It easier to think, 'Well there must be someting else I'm supposed to do". Thank you - please keep these stories coming - letting your (Holy Spirit's) light shine in a world the believes they will hit the lottery when actually it is practice, practice, practice. Blessings!
You go Grandma!