You’re Not Good Enough.
That’s what they told me when I wrote to the University of Miami asking if I could be on their golf team. I grew up in a family that played golf. My parents would play every weekend, sit at the bar, drink too much, go home, and the arguing would turn into physical abuse between the two of them. So much so, that I had to call the police on him when I was just ten years old.
The country club pool was my babysitter, until I got fat in 8th grade. That’s when all the cute boys started to call me Ten Ton Tessie. I needed to avoid the abuse, and my only other option was the golf course.
I was actually pretty good at hitting that little white ball around!
My Mom and her friends took me to an LPGA Tour event when I was 17. When I saw these women hit the golf ball, I was in AWE! The sound it made when the face cracked that ball was amazing! The big golf bags with their names on them, the clothes, the shoes! The dream was born! I was going to be a star on the LPGA Tour!
I needed to find a place to get better. There was no internet, so I wrote letters to Golf Digest Magazine and the Ben Hogan company to see if they knew which colleges had women’s golf teams. Since I read their magazine and played their golf clubs, I knew they had to care about me.
Believe it or not, they wrote back. The school that stood out on the list was The University of Miami. I wrote to Miami and asked them if I could be on their golf team.
They responded, “You’re Not Good Enough.” They said I was welcome to come down, and try out for the team, but didn’t promise me anything. They said I would probably never play.
My Dad told me if I didn’t get a scholarship after the first year, I couldn’t go back. They couldn’t afford the tuition. I never visited the school. A family friend was a captain for an airline and they lived in Coral Gables, Florida, where The U is. I flew on the plane he was flying. They dropped me off at my dorm with my suitcase and golf clubs.
I sat on the bed and cried.
Then I went to practice and never looked back.
After a lot of hard work, I graduated the number one player on the team. We won back to back National Championships and I was Team Captain and named All American my Senior Year.
It was time to move to the next level.
I tried to qualify for the LPGA Tour that summer. I didn’t make it.
You’re Not Good Enough.
I had to practice even harder. I needed to look in the mirror to see what I was missing.
I drove to California by myself to play on the mini tour. I needed experience.
I qualified for the LPGA Tour on my second attempt only to lose my card after three seasons. Of the best players in the world, I was one of the worst.
You’re Not Good Enough.
My name is Cindy Miller. I have been called a Master of Mulligans. In other words, I am a leading expert at taking another shot.
I inspire and challenge people to get, do and be better. To unlock potential. To Own “IT”.
I have reached the highest levels of both playing and teaching one of the hardest games there is. I’ve played in over 10 major championships and have been named one of the top 50 teachers in the world. So, I asked myself, “What if there was a way, I could take everything I have learned from all my misses, mulligans, and major championships to help others?” I have taught thousands of individuals, teams, and fortune 500 companies how to own it, just like you.
What do you do when things don’t go your way? Whether it’s your finances, relationships, your health, or maybe even your profession? Do you believe the naysayers? Have doubt, apprehension, and fear? Give up? Or Suck it up?
I believe potential is a terrible thing to waste.
As the new year gets started, I want to challenge you to pursue your “IT”. What is “IT” ? “IT” is the reason you were born. Everyone has one, but not everyone is pursuing theirs. “IT” is your potential, passion, and purpose in life. Some of you already have “IT”. Others might have had “IT” and lost “IT“. Nike tell us just to do “IT”, but how?
Everything you need to successful is inside this box.
The first thing in the box is a nail. Yes. The Nail is your WHY. If you were sitting on a nail and it hurt really bad, would you stay there? Would you whine and complain about it, or get up and do something about “IT”? How bad does it have to hurt to be willing to change? It’s time to get off the nail.
The second thing in the box is a mirror. Once you know your WHY. It is time to look in the mirror. WHO are you? What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What do you want? What do you need to learn to be able to achieve your goals?
The last thing in the box is a seed. Now that you your WHY and WHAT you want, it’s time to figure you HOW you can get “IT”. You need to plant a seed and start working on “IT”. Please remember that some seeds take longer to grow than others. You need to water them, put them in the light, and nurture them.
There is no telling how good this year could be.
It’s time to stop avoiding “IT”
It’s time to find “IT”
It’s time to Own “IT”