It’s finally early fall for us in the Pacific NW region (and Section), and now there’s a chance to enjoy football, the MLB playoffs and catch up on some family time, rest and maybe get some PTO.
From early April until about now, a professional in our industry is routinely hit with the urgent, the deadlines, the emergency, etc. and unfortunately the important efforts that will give us the greatest benefit are left undone or undealt with.
With that context in mind, let’s think about how we can work on getting our three phases together (physical, mental and spiritual) and going the right direction and converge in a way that will take each of us towards our best year as a PGA professional. Convergence? Let’s define it: 1: the act of moving toward union or uniformity and consistency.
How can we think about convergence of our three phases (physical, mental and spiritual)? By becoming more of a Stoic.
What is a Stoic? Stoicism is an intentional way of living (thinking, acting, speaking) that focuses more on reality instead of escapism or idealism. In fact, it lines up very well with being “present” in a round of golf. Some say that stoicism is very focused on the present moment and, just like it does on the golf course, it helps you deal with things such as:
- The fickleness, selfishness and similar of dealing with ourselves, so you can better manage yourself through self-awareness and relate with your organization through social awareness
- On the golf course, this presence allows you to deal with both good and bad bounces, with poor shots and with exceptional ones…staying present (and level) throughout
- Illness, getting older and general suffering
- Falling in and out of “fortune” or luck
- Living a more meaningful, impactful life vs a life of simple surviving
- (And much more!)
Where did Stoicism come from? It arose out of Roman society, its primary founder being a person named Zeno. Learn more about The Philosophy of Stoicism – Massimo Pigliucci.
How can you and I grow (or converge) toward being more of a stoic?
To start, there are four “cardinal virtues” or characteristics of a Stoic. Our success as leaders, influencers, coaches, supervisors and mentors “hinges” on our commitment to grow in these four characteristics of stoicism (and continually pursuing them):
- Courage
- Moderation (Temperance)
- Justice
- Wisdom
When speaking with employers, I often point out traits that I see in successful golf professionals and how these traits relate well to “being a stoic.” These include:
- Unflappability: picture the pros who when confronted with a conflict, don’t respond with an urge to fight. They respond stoically with self-awareness and social awareness.
- Resourcefulness: these pros have a knack for getting more out of the situation, stretching resources to do more or make more with less.
Thanks for reading this far and I hope you’re interested in learning more about how becoming more of a Stoic will help you being more successful in the three phases of your life and seeing them converge toward a more union within your life.
In the next two months, I plan on writing more about the first two “hinges” of Stoicism as listed above. Courage and Moderation will be the topics for next month, so tune in to read more about them.
If you have any application of these concepts that you would like to share with me, I would love to hear about them. Please feel free to email or call me at my contact information below.
Monte Koch, PGA Certified Professional, CEIP
PGA Career Consultant | PGA of America Career Services
mkoch@pgahq.com
206.335.5260
PGA of America
Business, Operations & Career Coach in the Pacific NW and Rocky Mountain PGA Sections
Lea Hill, WA