#208

The Open teed off last week, and with it came the usual flood of golfing interviews.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler shared something a little different and perhaps a little unexpected for someone at the top of their profession.

“There are a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to number one in the world, and they're like, 'what's the point?”

That one comment opened a metaphorical fairway, inviting every interviewer to tee up their version of the same question to every other player.

And surprisingly, many could relate.

JJ Spaun, a recent first-time major winner, said:
“You have these high aspirations… and then it happens so quick. You’re so elated, and then all of a sudden, it’s like, now what?”

Justin Rose, no stranger to those career highs, added:
“You strive and strive and strive… and you achieve it, and it’s not necessarily what you imagined it to be. The work and the journey to get there is the thrill. That’s the exciting part."

"You want it to manifest into tournament wins and ticking off your goals and your dreams, but really the journey and the process of getting there is where you have to try to find the enjoyment."

Read that again.

The journey and the process of getting there is where you have to try and find the enjoyment.

It’s not about dismissing the win. We all want to win.

But if our only focus is the elation of the win, we might miss what grows in between - the resilience, the perspective, the character, the setbacks that became breakthroughs, the quiet moments of doubt that shaped our confidence.

Those things rarely make the highlight reel. But they make us.

I can think of so many other things than simply the ‘win’ that have caused growth – in relationships, in character, in present moment awareness, in who I’m showing up as.

It’s in the pursuit of the win that we grow wings, not just the win itself.

So, what about you?

• Are you measuring your life by what you’ve achieved - or who you’re becoming along the way?
• What version of you needs acknowledgment because it’s quietly emerging in the effort, the stretch, the miss, the try again?
• If the win never came, would the process, the growth, the enjoyment still be worth it?
• What have you achieved that once felt like "everything" - and yet left you wondering, "Is this it?"
• When was the last time the pursuit felt more meaningful than the prize?
• If the scoreboard disappeared – no accolades, no titles, no recognition - what would still motivate you to show up fully?
• What do your goals say about who you're trying to become - not just what you're trying to do?
• What parts of your character are quietly being forged in the grind, the patience, the repetition?
• What would it look like to enjoy the process, even if the outcome never materialised the way you hoped?
• Where are you mistaking the peak for the purpose – when an alternative is becoming someone worth climbing with?
• And finally, if you get “there”… what will you say to yourself when you arrive?

Let’s not only chase the summit.

Let’s enjoy and thrive on who we’re becoming on the way up (or down).