Roadturn

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Don

The Tiger Woods Story

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When he was two years old, he beat Bob Hope in a putting contest. At five, he appeared in “Golf Digest.” At 22, he became the youngest player ever to win the Masters Tournament. In 2008, he made more money than any other professional athlete in the world: Tiger Woods.

He has been deemed a child prodigy, a superstar, a phenomenon: Tiger Woods.

In the past, I’ve seen Tiger as one of those guys who is just born into destiny and never gets off the trail. Seemingly, he always knew what he wanted and was gifted with the exceptional focus needed to get him there. I’ve admired him, but have never really thought that there is anything I could learn from him. You either have it or you don’t. And I don’t: I wasn’t born with a consuming desire and exceptional focus. Rather, I am fascinated by absolutely everything and can get sidetracked by almost anything. You get the picture.

With the current hoopla over Tiger’s personal life, though, I see a sort of RoadTurn moment for him. How he deals with this situation will either propel him on to a higher level, or head him in a different direction. That’s my take. And I’m not talking about his social standing, but his relationship to himself. I say, “Go, Tiger. Don’t give up. Let the critics have their shots, make the adjustments you need, and keep on going…”

Here are some quotes from the champ:

I get to play golf for a living. What more can you ask for–getting paid for doing what you love.

My main focus is on my game.

I’m trying as hard as I can, and sometimes things don’t go your way, and that’s the way things go.

You can always become better.

One of the things that my parents have taught me is never listen to other people’s expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about it.

I did envisage being this successful as a player, but not all the hysteria around it off the golf course.

Thanksgiving, Carly Simon Style…

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I was impressed to see Carly Simon perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning. My own take is “Bravo and Right On, Carly!”

The song I heard was from her Never Been Gone” album. Here are the lyrics:

Let the River Run

We’re coming to the edge
Running on the water
Coming through the fog
Your sons and daughters

Let the river run
Let all the dreamers
Wake the nation
Come, the New Jerusalem

Silver cities rise
The morning lights
The streets that lead them
And sirens call them on with a song

It’s asking for the taking
Trembling, shaking
Oh, my heart is aching

We’re coming to the edge
Running on the water
Coming through the fog
Your sons and daughters

We the great and small stand on a star
And blaze a trail of desire
Through the darkling dawn

It’s asking for the taking
Come run with me now
The sky is the color of blue
You’ve never even seen
In the eyes of your lover

Oh, my heart is aching
We’re coming to the edge
Running on the water
Coming through the fog
Your sons and daughters

It’s asking for the taking
Trembling, shaking
Oh, my heart is aching
We’re coming to the edge
Running on the water
Coming through the fog
Your sons and daughters

Let the river run
Let all the dreamers
Wake the nation
Come, the New Jerusalem

(Lyrics and Music by Carly Simon)

The Child is Right…

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What is it that the child has to teach?

The child naively believes that everything should be fair
and everyone should be honest,
that only good should prevail,
that everybody should have what they want
and there should be no pain or sadness.
The child believes the world should be perfect
and is outraged to discover it is not.

And the child is right.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe

Finding Yourself: A Fresh Start

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It used to be that Armistice Day (aka Veterans Day) was the one day of the year when I was sure to wear a tie. It was out of respect for those who have fought for Freedom. My own experience in the armed forces was rather serene, compared to what others have endured. I wanted to show my appreciation and admiration for the real heroes.

The original Armistice Day was November 11, 1918…the 11th month, the 11th day, on the 11th hour…and it was hailed as the end of the “War to end all wars.” I wish it were so, but it hasn’t turned out that way. Millions more have died in armed conflict…on our streets and on the battlefield. God, help us all.

So it is that I took a fresh look at Armistice today, and here is my conclusion: I’m looking for the Peace that ends all war, and I hope it begins today. What if the whole world were to stop and listen? What would happen then?

In my own life, I’ve begun a fresh assessment of who I am and where I’m headed. The best place to begin is in the beginning, so why not return there and re-evaluate?

Here’s a link to get a start on your own Roadmap to Freedom.

The Ramifications of Despair

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My work took me to a Navajo reservation last weekend. It was a real eye-opener. Maybe the last bubble to burst for me. My assumptions and dreams have taken a real beating this year. I’m counting that as a blessing, by the way. Why whine?

We came from Eastern Kentucky, where the roadsides are garbage dumps and the hills are being torn apart and dumped into the streams in search of King Coal–coal that is then used to putrify our air. Wonderful idea. I figured that the Native American lands were exempt from all of this–that the guardians of Earth would be living a simple, pure, spiritual life and that their land would still be honored and protected. Wrong again.

Heading down into the valley, I saw a layer of smog that would rival any major city. The source: Coal burning plants on the reservation. The word I heard (true or false, I can’t say) is that Native industry is exempt from EPA regulations, so they can burn their coal even dirtier than the rest of the country. I could have cried, as I looked out on the thick haze from a mountain overlook and realized that the poison was being generated on the reservation by the tribe.

As I got closer, I saw how the place I left and the place I had come to are even more in synch: Litter everywhere. Bottles and boxes, dirty diapers and aluminum cans–all thrown alongside the road as if the land is a personal refuse disposal site. The realization was overwhelmingly sad. Does anyone left living care? Has it come to this–to a total breakdown of our responsibility to the planet and to one another? Is there not a culture of honor and respect left in this world? Father, help us all. We are lost. We are gone. All gone.

It was my boy, Zeb, who restored my faith. We were visiting an ancient site, where a now vanished people once lived in concert with their surroundings. Zebadiah bent over to pick up a rock as a souvenir, but I cautioned him against it…

“Honor the land, Son, even if the people who own it don’t.”

“But, Dad, it ain’t their land anyway…it belongs to the Creator.”

And the boy is right. Woody Guthrie had it wrong. This land is not “your land” and it’s not “my land.” It’s the Creator’s land–and He will someday deal rightly with those who destroy and dishonor it. And I’ve done (and continue to do) my share of damage, lest I forget that I didn’t walk to Indian Country. I drove.

You know what else that Zeb helped me realize? My life is really none of my business. My Father has the plan. I’m His to use or not use, as He wishes. My job is to look, to listen, and to learn. Then, to share that with you and hope that you will feel safe to share your experience with me.

And you know what my theory is, concerning the failure of this generation to cherish the land and to respect one another? Despair. It is caused by loss of hope, loss of consideration, loss of dignity. We act like nothing really matters. We act like greed is a virtue and that convenience is the highest good. But, it is only an act, you know. If there is any life in you, you know that it is an act. A sad act of complicity and fear and loss. One that will lead only to shame and remorse. Some day.

The Faith of a Child

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It’s been a tough few days for me, kicked off by a run-in with my direct supervisor at work. I’ve been putting most of my energy and focus into a project that I thought I was clear on. Turns out, though, that her vision is a whole lot different than mine. How did that happen? After thinking about it for awhile, it appears that my desire for the work was so strong that I couldn’t hear or believe anyone who wanted something else. The whole fiasco has pretty well kicked the wind out of me, so I’m back to square one–analysis and planning–but, the truth is that I’ve lost most of my heart for the work.

An article in the New Straits Times (Malaysia) gave me a boost, though. It may do the same for you. You gotta love these kids. They know what they want and how to get there. Oh, to have the gift of a child’s faith. Here they are, finishing the thought, “If I were an entrepreneur…”

“I would make sure that the products I sell bring benefits to my customers. The products would be personally invented by me. My customers are guaranteed to get excellent service from me. I would get their feedback on my products and do my best to improve the quality of my products to fit their requests.” – Nur Afiqah Azizan, 11, Bangi

“I would like to set up an entreprenuer school specifically for unfortunate children, students who come from poor families and the physically impaired. This would help them gain knowledge and exposure to be an entrepreneur so they would have a better future. In addition, I would like to promote Malaysia as an ideal country that offers good products and a full range of local cuisine for tourists to try and enjoy. This initiative would also further promote the 1Malaysia spirit.” – Siti Zainal Sabihah Roslan, 14, Bangi

“I would have a chain of boutiques. I would also love to start my own magazine since I love to write.” – Manpreet Kaur Sandhu, 14, Kuala Lumpur

“I would develop a new awesome Web site for social networking like Facebook, MySpace or Friendster. Maybe I would be like Bill Gates who was an entrepreneur and generated computer software ideas. I would even love to manage a business, even though there’s considerable risks.”
– David Kang Zheng Hoong, 16, Bandar Tasik Selatan

“I would like to boost the economy by doing business and helping my family!” – Puteri Alia Halid, 12, Petaling Jaya

“I would invent a custom-fitted shoe line consisting of only hand-painted shoes for all my customers so as not to discriminate against those with really small or big feet.” – Elsheba K. Abraham, 16, Subang Jaya