Not the same

Monday, October 21

Saturday morning, I went to play golf with my sons. We go to Top Golf somewhat regularly, but they’ve only been on an actual golf course a handful of times.

A few holes in one of my sons made an interesting comment. “Top Golf made me think I was good at golf. The actual game is very different.”

And he’s right. Top Golf is fun but it’s not golf. It’s similar but it’s not the same. To get better at golf, you have to actually get out on a golf course and play the actual game.

This is what getting better at anything in life is like. Reading books on a topic is great. Listening to podcasts on a topic can be insightful. Going to conferences or attending a webinar may teach you a few things. But learning about the topic and knowing about the topic are not the same as developing the skill. At some point you have to go out and do the work. You have to go beyond knowledge and test your ability.

This is why, for example, leadership books are so popular but good leadership is so rare. We love to read the books and talk about the principles, but rarely do we put them into practice.

Today is a day to take action on the thing you want to get better at. You’ve consumed enough content about it. You've thought about it enough. You’ve talked about it enough. Now do the work.
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Keep chopping wood. 🪵🪓

-Kevin