Watch out for these.
As a teenager playing golf, I had to cope with my emotional immaturity to improve.
If I failed to win a tournament, I believed it was because I didn’t want it bad enough.
It is as if the universe measures out Desire, selects who has the most, and metes out rewards accordingly.
Sounds plausible, right?
Like bumper sticker wisdom.
I really believed my Desire wasn’t strong enough to motivate me to excellence.
I conceived reality that way, meditated on my Want, built really painful attachments, and suffered like mad.
Crazy!
When I didn’t win a tournament, it ballooned into a devastating emotional catastrophe. God graded me, and I came up short.
I was the embodiment of failure. Total and complete.
Ouch!
I still feel those scars.
The inflated Desire grew so powerful, I cheated — as if I suddenly lost the cognitive ability to count to 7. Desire casts a powerful spell.
I cheated against friends. People close to me. Great friend, right?
Better as my enemy.
One Selfish Ass Poisons Four Beautiful Dreams
Look what Desire made me do.
I cheated at least two or three shots, improving lies, and selectively remembering strokes played at a high school sectional qualifying tournament.
My score was one of four over two days. 647 strokes later, the scores between my school and a rival school came to a single shot.
We went to the State finals thanks to my cheating.
I sent four real golfers packing for home while I stole their opportunity.
I regret that.
It isn’t virtue.
Maximizing emotional desire is not a good idea. There are better ways to motivate yourself to excellence.
Personal satisfaction is high on the list.