On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS March 23, 2015 #533 Up next.”Learning to fail forward!”
After further review…Once upon a time there was a very shy young lad, shy to the point of being timid. His fear of failing affected many areas of his life. His self-esteem was below the level of his classmates. His marks in elementary school were passing, but he felt he wasn’t as smart as the others. He had friends, but was not outgoing.
Although athletically inclined, sports were not his focus. He leaned toward baseball, but when he was failing and wanted to quit, the encouragement of his father prevented it. His dad was partial to golf and provided clubs for his son at an early age. Golf is a difficult game at best; failing is almost built into the sport. The boy wanted to quit, and the patience of his parents was tested, but they continued bringing him to the golf course.
At about seven he joined the AT&T Pebble Beach Junior Golf Association and continued to improve – but losing was still his nemesis. Joining some junior golf buddies, he began to compete in some tournaments. Playing in those events became fun and somehow made it easier to fail, when that happened – and it did.
One of the biggest impacts was the improvement in his attitude, which helped build his confidence. He continued to overcome his fear of failure. In one of those junior golf tournaments, he hit his drive out of bounds – three holes in a row! In the past he would have walked off the course right then and there. Not that day, and although his ego was bruised, he finished the game with a good attitude, saying to himself — “Just one of those days…”
He gives credit to his dramatic change in attitude to the game of golf and the opportunity to learn it through the Junior Golf Association. His life as a student changed as well. He is graduating from high school this year with a GPA of 4.28 to go along with his .8 golf handicap. He still doesn’t like to fail, but has come to realize the value of failing helped him grow as a person. He calls it “learning to fail forward” and has moved from a passive spectator to an active participant. The importance of the AT&T Pebble Beach Junior Golf program is second-to-none in helping young people become confident and positive adults.
Will you support junior golf so that other youngsters might grow as this young man did?
To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email him jim@jimtunney.com.
To obtain Jim’s offer of three books he authored: “101 Best of TunneySide of Sports”, “It’s the Will, Not the Skill”, and “Impartial Judgment” – a $60. value for just $40. Please email him at the above address. Thank You!
