It Is Okay to Care

I don’t know how many of you watch golf, but this past weekend, one of the biggest tournaments of the year was being played, and long story short, one of the favorites lost in semi devastating fashion. And it is not the first time that has happened. After experiencing great success early in his career, he has been chasing an elusive victory for the past decade. 

What struck me though is how he approaches it all. He is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and make it known how much this means to him and just how much he wants to win. In particular, this quote about his philosophy stuck with me  - 

“I keep coming back. And whether that means I get rewarded, or I get punched in the gut, or whatever it is. I’ll always keep coming back.” - Rory McIlroy

Now not many of us are professional golfers, but this lesson applies to everyone. It takes courage to continue to go all in, put yourself out there, not knowing how it will turn out, and knowing that there is a significant chance that you will not succeed.

There is extreme vulnerability in opening up to that possibility of devastation (and doing it publicly). Most of us choose to hedge our bets. We downplay how much we want something or give 80% effort or worst of all, we just don’t do the thing that we really want. It is so much easier this way. We save ourselves the rejection and the embarrassment. But it can also lead to living a life full of regrets. 

Whatever it is that you are scared to do, I encourage you to go for it. Write the book, move to the new city, start the business, ask that person out, begin a workout routine, go after the job. You know what that big, scary dream of yours is. Go all in on it and give yourself permission to care.

Do not be afraid to declare what you want, to yourself and to others. That courage and that vulnerability might just inspire someone else. It will also allow you to know that you gave it all your heart and whether you succeeded or not, you will never have to wonder what if. 

And Rory, I will keep rooting for you and hoping that you finally get rewarded.