Fishing or Golf?
I come from a golfing family so I “played” golf for many years. But I also come from a long line of fishermen, so fishing’s always been a part of my life.
But 15 years ago I came to the conclusion that I didn’t have the time to do both. I needed to make a Solomon like judgment – golf or fishing?
But the truth was it really wasn’t much of a decision once I got over the fear of telling my family and golfing friends I would no longer be part of the club, both literally and figuratively.
Why did fishing win over golf so easily?
For starters I’ve never been very good at golf so I find playing very frustrating. Being with family and friends is always fun, playing golf isn’t.
On the other hand I’m never frustrated when I’m fishing. If the fishing’s bad then it’s the weather, the fish or the lake’s fault, but it’s never my fault. So I’m never frustrated. When I catch fish, whether it was simple luck or my fishing skills, it’s always a bonus.
Fishing provides the same opportunity for fellowship as golf, except you’re in a boat and not a golf cart. But the level of concentration required in fishing’s significantly less. As a result I’ve had some of the best life discussions ever while fishing.
And as I stated in my previous post, I love being outdoors, but I prefer to always be in the “wild” versus the “manicured” outdoors. Fishing provides the opportunity to be in the “wild”.
Finally, related to being in the wild, I love adventure and fishing’s always an adventure, or at least I tend to make it one.
So Solomon’s wisdom proved right, yes golf’s good, but for me, fishing’s better.
Creating Space
I just completed a regularly planned ritual I began after my first year at SpringHill when I experienced the seasonality of both SpringHill’s work and my job. Now before the end of any given 4 month “season” I lay out my calendar for the next season.
I literally create space by blocking off days for planning, administrative work, meeting with staff and supporters and yes – days off, all based on my goals for the season and the year.
I learned in that first year that if I didn’t take a proactive approach to my schedule it would be filled by others. And if my calendar became filled by others that meant there would be very little time left for many of the other things I needed to do for SpringHill, my family, and myself.
Now don’t get me wrong I work hard to make myself available to our staff, board and supporters as I create space by planning my calendar.
Being available and approachable is a high value of mine.
But without a thoughtful plan I actually become less available and can seem more unapproachable because of the frantic pace I end up running.
So after that first year I learned this fundamental truth – only I can be responsible for my time, my days, and my calendar.
I can’t entrust it to others.
And it’s not fair to do so, because they’re not in a position to manage my time. They’re only in a position to use it.
Only I’m in a position to manage my time, and create the space needed to do the things that only I can do for SpringHill, for my family, and for myself.
To read more on related topics see my posts:
