Want to enjoy what God has given you to do. Need some encouragement on how to stay steadfast and persistent, steady and sure? SCH Contributor Debbie Williamson shares her proven strategy with 4 Ways to Keep a Positive Mindset. Share it with people you love.
Mo Martin won the LPGA British Open in July. She’s 31, spent six years in the minor league of women’s golf, and her best performance up until the British Open was a tie for third in 2013. When she did start playing professionally she had no agent, no coach, no sponsors. But she kept playing, kept chasing her dream even though she says, “sometimes it’s a very, very difficult thing to pursue.” (helene.elliot@latimes.com)
She admits it’s never been easy, but she credits her family for sustaining her — her aunt Mary hands out “Go Mo” buttons to the spectators at every tournament — and helping her meet the criteria she has set for herself to determine if she will continue playing:
1. If I wake up happy in the morning.
2. If I continue to enjoy what I’m doing.
3. If I’m able to contribute to the game.
4. If I’m able to pay my own bills.
I like this list. I like the ordinariness of it. I like that anyone can ask themselves these questions with whatever they are pursuing to determine whether or not they should keep at it. It has nothing to do with making millions of dollars, or being famous, or being more important or talented than another.
It also doesn’t mean that every day these things are true for you. (I’m sure that over the years Mo had more than a few mornings of despair and questioned whether she should continue her “nomadic, penny-watching existence”.)
But begin to ask yourself these questions as your day begins:
—am I waking up happy? (If you have little children or puppies, that’s a hard question to answer; however, imagine life when you do get a full nights sleep!)
—am I enjoying the life God has given me and the things He has given me to do?
—am I grateful and glad to be contributing to the “game” I play — as a teacher, a stay at home mom, a caregiver, a nurse, a military employee, a life coach, a student?
—are my bills getting paid? (And not just mostly. This kind of needs to be always.)
Mo Martin, steadfast and persistent, steady and sure, continues to play professional golf. I haven’t seen her name in the paper lately, but apparently, that isn’t important to her. As long as she is waking up happy, enjoying and contributing to the game, and paying her bills, this 31 year old golfer will continue to play the game she loves.
“I’ve been healthy enough and I’ve had successes along the way that have propelled me forward, and for me the reward is day to day. I get to do something I love and I get to share what I do with my family and friends. I’m very blessed to be doing what I’m doing, and I’ve always felt that way. For me, that’s the ultimate reward.”
Steadfast and persistent, steady and sure.
Enjoy what God has given you to do.
Share it with the people you love.
This is your ultimate reward.
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