It's Monday. Are you feeling a sick hangover from those broken resolutions you made just 14 days ago? You're in good company. If the odds of success are so low, why do we even try? I believe most of us fail to understand long term success requires a plan to manage failure. We don't know how to have fun with failure. We definitely don't play games involving losing. It's easier to walk away when that first shot lands in the rough. Well, I'm playing games with failure and I'm going to keep playing for the rest of my life until I get it right.
I'm happy to report my first shot in my debt reduction "game" landed on the green. Some may say I cheated at my own game. I previewed my virtual debt reduction golf course early to get an idea of where all the challenges would be and I decided the first hole, aka January, would be the most important hole on the entire course. It was so vital to get past January that I started taking practice swings in November and December. Those adjustments in my swing (budget) helped me get a good start.
The way I designed my game, Par for the Course, there's only one way I can lose – walk away and throw away my clubs. I expect to miss. There will be months when unexpected things prevent me from hitting my target. Those months are called "bogeys" and I'm going to keep track of them. The idea is to keep playing and learn from those bad swings. My focus is on improvement, especially when I find myself in the rough.
The biggest mistake you can make right now if you're upset about blowing a resolution is to walk away and wait until next January 1 to begin again. Shake off the Monday morning blues and hit the reset button. Who cares if you're in the rough? Golfers don't give up. They understand there's a bunch more holes to be played. Make adjustments. Learn how to get out of the rough. Have fun. Laugh at your mistakes. You can do this. Have a great day.
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