Daily Inspiration: Optimism & Opportunity – “Approach every day like it’s a par 3 (full of opportunity but with a bit of risk along the way!)”

“Approach every day like it’s a par 3 (full of opportunity but with a bit of risk along the way!)” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Golf season is back.

In that context, my ball mark is a happy face. That tells you everything you need to know about me.

Most people choose to mark their ball with a series of lines, several dots, or some other sort of elaborate and customized marking. But since this is a blog about innovation, creativity, and optimism, years ago I chose this symbol as a means of always reminding myself that it is just a game, I shouldn’t take myself too seriously, and that above all, I should just enjoy my time out there.

After all, golf is an incredibly hard game to master. Perhaps this diagram does the best job of summarizing what’s involved in the golf swing.

You need to do all that in 1.5 seconds and execute it perfectly every time.

So why is par 3 the focus of today’s inspiration? I was thinking about this yesterday as I approached our #17 hole at my home club, Cutten Fields – that’s the one in the photo. The shot involves a bit of safety to the right if the pin is tucked back left. There’s a water hazard – aka a pond – if you want to go for it.

Most par 3’s involve a little bit of risk and reward like this. Every time I approach a par 3, I can’t help but think of the fact that this is a perfect metaphor for what we face in our life every day., Executed well or with a bit of luck, and the potential of a life-numbing hole in one presents itself. With a bit of finesse, skill, and determination, you can pull off a birdie. Do things well, and you’ve got a par. Have a bad day? Bogey or higher.

And if it’s a really bad day., you end up in the water.

In that context, a par 3 hole in golf is a metaphor for the volatility of life. Just two days ago, while I was playing this exact hole, a cheer went up at #11 – the par 3 on the other side of the pond. And my playing partners cheered too, thinking that the fellow had a hole-in-one. It was not to be – it was a ‘hole-in-3,’ since he put his first one in the water, took a penalty stroke, teed up again – and put it in the hole. That’s like a day in which things start pretty rough, but you bear down with determination and pull yourself through, with the result being a fantastic day.

I spend a lot of time out on the course not only enjoying my round but also thinking about inspirational things – and over the years, golf has made its way into various Daily Inspiration stories. Such as, “‘I’m going to do it anyway is usually not a good setup for success!”

Or, “If you finally do succeed, try not to look too astonished!”

Or, ‘get over it!,” which I wrote one day after a round with one of my sons.

Or, “It’s not about the win or loss. It’s about the absolute joy you have in pursuing it,‘ a marvelous story about the day a crow flew away with my son’s golf ball.

And since I’ve been running these daily posts for 8 years now, there is always the chance of a bit of duplication of my thought process!

All of these stories and more are over on my golf website page which is at, of course, https://jimcarroll.golf.

Bottom line? Every day begins just like a par 3 over water.

Full of potential with an opportunity for disaster.

But there’s always the next hole – and there’s always tomorrow!

Approach things that way, and you’ve found the perfect formula for peace of mind!