Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
It finally happened after 36 holes. I had walked 18 holes in the morning and played horribly. Bad tee shots, off-center approach shots, chip shots nowhere near the hole and some of the worst putting of the summer so far. Another 18 holes in the afternoon with my son along with another father-son combo from our baseball team meant we had to play in the heat of the day. It was close to 90 degrees but even worse, it was close to 95% humidity. Soupy is the only way you could describe the feeling out there on the golf course.
The afternoon round started where the morning round left off; Sprayed tees shots, bad approach shots, and horrendous putting. It was getting frustrating but anyone who has played golf before know, all it takes is one good shot to get your psyche, mojo and strut back in place. Just one long birdie putt, just one striped tee shot or just one good approach shot that covers the flag from the moment it strikes the club face until the moment it stops just inches from the pin.
It was the 18th hole – my 36th of the day. The heat of the day was behind us but it was still 88 degrees. The sun was fading into the western portion of the cloud-filled sky and the shadows were starting to fill the fairway. A tired swing launched the ball towards the green with a slight fade – center cut, 102 yards from the hole. A simple pitching wedge was all I had left and as soon as I struck the shot, i knew it was going to be close.
“Get in the hole,” I yelled as the ball sailed through the muggy air towards the flag.
It bounced 2 feet short, hopped once at the edge of the hole and finally came to rest 18 inches behind the flag stick. It was the classic “one that brings you back.” Every golfer who has played more than a few rounds has had that shot – the one that brings you back. A long day of mis-hits is forgotten when you hit that one good drive, flush an approach shot or drain that long putt on the last hole. One second you’re saying “I hate this game” and the next you’re proclaiming “this is the greatest game known to man.”
What’s that one thing that brings you back?
Is it that moment the seller calls you and say they want to list with you?
What about when the listing agent calls and says “Congratulations, the sellers have accepted your final counter-offer?”
It’s those moments when the Open House visitor says “we’ll take it.”
Maybe it’s that moment the lender or title company gives you the “clear to close” or when the appraiser determines the home is worth exactly the same as your contract price.
What about when the buyer says “We don’t want to risk losing this house so lets just offer full price” or when the seller you’re talking to doesn’t blink at your full fee commission?
Yep, those are the moments that make you realize why you do what you do. It’s not all the crappy days where everything seems to go wrong. It’s never the moments where your client wasn’t honest or didn’t show up at the scheduled time. It’s not those days that seem like every call finds nobody home. It’s certainly never those days you get notified that your clients offer didn’t make final consideration.
It’s the other days. The ones you’re thinking of now that keep you focused on the right things. It’s those days you you’re slogging through some pain to get to the pleasure that you know is out there.
Stop focusing on the bad shots, the missed putts and the loose swings. Instead, focus on the well-struck shots, the made putts and those swings that felt like you hit it so pure an angel should have gotten her wings. That’s what you’re aiming for every day.
Build relationships, solve problems and have fun. Those are the things that will bring you back…every time.
PS – Yes, for those cynical readers of Carp’s Corner, I did make the putt on the final hole for a birdie. Heck, it’s what’s going to bring me back to play again tomorrow.