Unfortunately, this is a sad necessity for most people. Without being independently wealthy, it’s not easy to follow dreams without a ton of hard work. Jobs and bills don’t disappear because we’re setting out to follow our hearts down a path of eventual happiness and success. I’m not here to whine about how hard it is. I’m here to tell you: let’s suck it up and follow our dreams.
I’m reminded of the famous Langston Hughes poem, “Harlem: A Dream Deferred”. You may have read it:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.Or does it explode?
Right now, my golf game stinks like rotten meat. But that doesn’t matter to me. I’m pursuing my dream. And to do that, I’m going to need a better plan.
One thing I have going for me is that I’m single and have no kids. Not that being single is super appealing, but I don’t have any obligations to keep me from putting time in on my goals. Just a job and some bills. My to-do list covers most of the things I need to accomplish but right now some things are more critical than others.
Most important is my health. That means weight loss and exercise to fend off this herniated disk in my back. After that, I need to practice and play. Sounds easy, but that’s a lot of stuff to do. My target is to work out at the gym at least 3 days per week. I should also be doing my back-specific physical therapy exercises 3-5 times per week. I’d like to shoot for four practice sessions per week. Two full-swing sessions, one putting session, and one short-game session. The practice sessions can probably be combined into two actual sessions with two parts. On top of all that, I’d like to play three times per week. I’m shooting for two 9-hole rounds and one 18-hole round. And that’s all at a minimum. Balancing all that with 40 hours of work per week (and a 45-minute commute each way) is going to be a challenge.
Here’s what I have going for me: my work schedule is very flexible. The down side is that I’m not a morning person and I’m accustomed to showing up for work around 9:30 am or so and getting out around 6:00 pm. During the summer, when the days are long, it wouldn’t be so bad, but by the time I get home playing is mostly out during the week.
If I want to meet my short-term goals, I need to come up with a better plan for managing my time. Right now, it seems like the best option is to suck it up and get to work earlier so I’m getting out with much more daylight. Maybe get in at 8:00 and out around 4:30. That puts me on the course or driving range around 5:30. Plenty of time for 9 holes and even 18 when the days get longer. I think I’m willing to substitute a gym workout for a walking round of golf because that’s pretty good exercise, but I still need to fit some workouts and my back exercises in there.
I’m going to give this some more thought and follow this up with a formal time schedule that will be realistic. Stay tuned for that. My dreams may never come true, but they will not be deferred.
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Well said. Every journey begins with the first step.