HBO has a two-part documentary series about Tiger Woods that I found fascinating. Once you dive below the surface of Tiger's championship wins and success on the golf course, you discover the tragedy of his life.
Tiger's father Earl put a golf club in his hands before the age of two. Earl would say that Tiger took right to it, and I'm sure he did, but it's pretty clear that there was no other choice for Tiger. When Tiger was a child, he witnessed Earl's infidelity, which showed up years later in his own much-publicized affairs and eventual divorce.
One of Tiger's mistresses remarked that he preferred child-like activities when he was with her such as eating cereal and watching cartoons. This is an interesting similarity with Michael Jackson, who also seemed to be wanting to recapture his childhood as an adult.
There is a mantra in professional development circles:
Tiger's father Earl put a golf club in his hands before the age of two. Earl would say that Tiger took right to it, and I'm sure he did, but it's pretty clear that there was no other choice for Tiger. When Tiger was a child, he witnessed Earl's infidelity, which showed up years later in his own much-publicized affairs and eventual divorce.
One of Tiger's mistresses remarked that he preferred child-like activities when he was with her such as eating cereal and watching cartoons. This is an interesting similarity with Michael Jackson, who also seemed to be wanting to recapture his childhood as an adult.
There is a mantra in professional development circles:
How you do anything is how you do everything.
I don't believe it. Tiger's case certainly shows an ability to compartmentalize various aspects of life. His golf life was separate from his family life, and that was separate from the lives he led with various affairs.
People are complicated.
Some know me as the founder of #Teamstreak. My writing streak is the only consistent one I have. I'm not "Mr. Streak" in all aspects of my life. In fact (be prepared to be knocked over with a feather), I don't believe in streaks for many aspects of life. This includes diet and exercise. Eating the same meals every day or exercising the same way every day or consuming the same content every day is not good for you. Variety is not only the spice of life, it is essential to build resilience
If that's the case, then what's with this streak of writing every day? That, my friends, is a topic for another post.
People are complicated.
Some know me as the founder of #Teamstreak. My writing streak is the only consistent one I have. I'm not "Mr. Streak" in all aspects of my life. In fact (be prepared to be knocked over with a feather), I don't believe in streaks for many aspects of life. This includes diet and exercise. Eating the same meals every day or exercising the same way every day or consuming the same content every day is not good for you. Variety is not only the spice of life, it is essential to build resilience
If that's the case, then what's with this streak of writing every day? That, my friends, is a topic for another post.
But yeah this story does such a good job of pulling back the curtains on this guy and showing how he ended up the way he did.
I read the book not because I was a Tiger or golf fan but because Ryan Holiday noted that it was one of the best books he'd read of that year.
I recommend this book to anyone who is at a juncture of deciding what kind of tradeoffs they want to make in life in terms of family, time, and sanity.
I also agree that seasonality and variety is key to most things in life. But certain things you just need consistently. Like breath in your lungs. In a way I see writing everyday as a marker for me having transformed myself into someone who writes just like he breathes.
I remember when the story of Tiger Woods broke out and how disappointed I was. It is fascinating to read your post about his background. I see a similar trend with serial killers - another show on Netflix. It usually ends up being some damage done by a parent. The worst of them all usually had issues with their mother. It is amazing how much our childhood can affect us so much.