How many do you have left?

June 21, 2017 Leave a comment

“Summer’s here, I’m for that. Got my rubber sandals, got my straw hat. Got my cold beer, I’m just glad that it’s here.” That is the opening line to a classic James Taylor song. You can listen to it here. If you’re not in a ‘summer mood’ yet, you will be after listening to that. Virtually everyone I know seems busier than ever. Stress levels are high and summer has arrived just in time….and it will go by quickly.

I want to you challenge yourself to make this summer exceptional.

A good place to start is to sit down and brainstorm by yourself or with your family what will make it exceptional? When was the last time you did a simple search for fun things to do within a few 100 miles of where you live? You don’t have to take a long or expensive trip to have fun. TripAdvisor is an excellent resource to find ideas.

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Honey Can You Please Pass the Prozac? – Depression in America

March 23, 2017 Leave a comment

Honey can you pass the Prozac? Maybe not as common as salt and pepper, but the last 20 years has seen a meteoric rise in the use of anti-depressants. The NY Times in 2013 reported that ONE IN TEN Americans and ONE in FOUR women in there 40’s and 50’s are taking the drugs. Are there really that many unhappy people in the USA who can not deal with these feelings on there own and need drugs in an attempt to change the way they feel? That is really hard to believe. The article states the primary problem:

“Depression is being overdiagnosed on a remarkable scale.”

Real time update on this story – It is actually worse, NBC News in December 2016 reported – ONE IN SIX adults are taking anti-depressants. Usage has increased over 400% in the last 20 years and overdose deaths have quadrupled! Anti-depressants are the most prescribed drug in our country. Isn’t that amazing! It is a huge business over $13B. We are blessed in the USA with so much abundance and reasons to be happy and optimistic. We have the richest country and have the highest rates of depression. Nigeria is desperately poor, corrupt in a legendary way, generally filthy and has a shortage of food and water. The depression rate is 0.8%, by far the lowest of all countries surveyed.

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Keeping Score and Personal Accountability

February 22, 2017 Leave a comment

I had not planned to mention this in this post and it is good advice. DO NOT get too hung up on the numbers all the time. Here is a picture of my dad and I when I about age 10 when I was caddying for him. The other picture is of me and my son Davis at age 11 when I was caddying for him at the US Kids World Championship at Pinehurst. He was a truly amazing player at that age. Davis would call Papa (my dad) after he played and my dad did something very unique. He never asked what score his shot.

He would say Davis, “Tell me about three of your GREAT SHOTS.”

Golf can be a cruel game. Too often you tend to focus on the score and where you made bad mistakes. Keeping your memory banks focused on your great shots is a smarter move for the future. You will need to pull them up vividly in your mind when facing adversity in the future. When I play today, I always track on the scorecard my score, if I hit quality tee shot, if I hit the green in regulation, my number of putts and MY GREAT SHOTS!

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Malcolm Butler Super Bowl Hero

February 2, 2015 Leave a comment

Malcolm Butler is a “proven playmaker”. It just goes to prove that talent is overrated. He was evaluated and deemed unworthy by the pro scouts and was not drafted and got his shot with the Patriots and made the most of it. At the Pro Day in Alabama they just measured him on short term physical tests. They could not measure the intangibles – GRIT, TENACITY, HEART and the ability to make plays! In the post season interview he said before the play he saw himself making a play before it happened! That is a play maker.

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