I Need a Mulligan

      All of us have experienced times that, we wished we could have a mulligan.  For the non-golfer, it is an opportunity to hit another ball without a penalty.  One asked me last week while trying to play golf, “Why is the second shot always better than the first?”  I like that question better than, “Why didn’t you do that the first time?”  The first question says that I learned from the past and knew how to make the second shot better; the second question keeps one entrenched and focused on the past failures. We know experience is a great teacher; however, experience can be just a memory or a teaching aid for improvements in our life. 

      The New Year is traditionally a good time to assess the past and determine the things that we would like to change.  Beginning again is more than just making a New Year’s resolution.  Resolutions are so easily broken and one starts to feel guilty and disappointed.  We need to look deep into our inner being and see what really matters most to us and determine what we need to do to build a plan from there.  As all of us know, we cannot re-do the past; however, we can create something greater by using the past as a foundation for improvement.  Oliver Wendell Holmes stated, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”   

      Each of us has opportunities for improvement in 2011. One way to keep us focused is to make a list of course corrections that need to made, make a plan for daily improvements and commit to the plan.  Take the ultimate goal, break it into small segments, and start on road to improvement a step at a time.  It is good to have someone that is responsible to help keep us in check and one to which we are accountable.  Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.”   It is amazing what one is capable of accomplishing when the focus is on the goal and the priorities of one’s life remain unalterable.  Look at this day as the first day of the rest of your life.

       Do not just make a resolution; make a plan and follow it one-step at a time.  Do not be discouraged it you do not see instantaneous results.  Results will come, as you stay focused on the ultimate goal.   Do you need a “mulligan?”  Here is your opportunity; take it!

      Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote: Philippians 3:17-18 “Stick with me, friends.  Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for the same goal.  There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them.  I’ve warned you of them many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again.  All they want is easy street.  They hate Christ’s Cross.  But easy street is a dead-end street.”  The Message Bible

Happy New Year