The other day I had the privilege to golf with a colleague who is fast becoming a great supporter and friend.  He and I adventured to a course that was full of gorgeous and majestic trees.  Some that reached nearly one hundred feet into the morning sky and others that spread their leaves as if to cover the horizon.

It was a magnificent course full of all the good Lord placed here on this earth.  It was also a decent morning of golfing.  My colleague was on his game and seemed to hit shot after shot with a consistent perfection.  Then he hit a shot that would teach me not only about golf, but give me a lesson for life and business.  He hit a shot that sailed for days, landing right behind a formidable enemy.  His shot landed him face to face with a mighty willow tree.  There were two options; shoot back on to the fairway and lose a stroke or attempt to shoot over the willow tree and hope to land on the unseeable green.

We took several minutes to survey the issue and I pushed him to take the risk and to pull out the club and make the willow bow to him.  The willow stood nearly seventy feet tall and stretched just as wide.  He could not see the green from where the balled lay, but he knew the green was there and knew that a good shot over the willow could land him safely on the green.  I whipped out my video camera as he prepared his shot and I waited with excitement to see just what was going to happen.  I thought to myself, “what if he hits this and it rolls into the hole; we are looking at a spot on ESPN for sure!”.

The course silenced as he set up his shot and swung.  His ball sailed up and over the willow only lightly grazing the willow’s massive frame.  As I watched the ball land safely on the green just feet from the pin I was amazed and inspired.  I had just watched, ‘one of those shots’ and had seen a man I respect, risk his game and chance failure in a sport that gives no second chances.

So why do I tell you all this story?  Think of the willow tree as your hurdle in your daily business ventures.  That willow tree is your cash flow, it is getting to your next ‘big deal‘, it is your marketing dilemmas and if you can just get over it you know that the ‘green‘ is just on the other side.  You can’t fully see it, but you know it is there.  Pull out the right tools from your bag, set up all you can and then just swing.  Take the chance to get your shot and impress those around you.

Success is nothing more then trying to achieve what others dare not to do.  Not everyone will hit over the willow tree and you may hit a few more leafs along the way, but set it up and swing away.  Business is more then brains and money, it is about guts and risks.  Those with guts will take the risks and those risks could lead you safely to the green.  But you will never know if you don’t stand back, step up and swing.

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