Tradition, Habit or Rut
I love golf. I admit it. I practice my golf grip during the day. Maybe I shouldn’t have confessed to that last sentence. For the golf lover this is a great weekend. The Masters is being played at Augusta. There is so much tradition surrounding this particular tournament. It is played on the same course every year. The previous winner hosts the annual Champions Dinner before the tournament. Golf legends of the past tee up the first ball to start the tournament. Last year’s champion puts the Green Jacket on this year’s champion. All of these little traditions make this a great golf tournament.
Most of us don’t think about traditions every day. Usually that word is reserved for special occasions. On a daily basis we think of those same things as habits or routines. Things we do day in and day out without giving it much thought. My wife told me that it takes someone 30 days to make something new become a habit. I think she was trying to get me to change. I lasted 29 days. Habits come in two forms – good habits and bad habits. Hopefully your good ones far outweigh your bad ones.
On the bottom of the list is a rut. This is where we feel stuck in the same place with no way out. We go through life like the Bill Murray character in the movie Groundhog Day. It is just one endless loop of the same old thing. We feel stuck in neutral on life’s highway. The grass seems greener everywhere other than where we are standing. We do the same thing day after day with little enthusiasm and passion.
Step back and think about the traditions you look forward to, the habits you’ve made and the ruts you’re in. Aren’t they really all the same? Aren’t they things we do over and over again? Maybe the difference is just our way of looking at them.
I’ll let you be the judge. I would love to hear your comments.
“The Masters: A tradition unlike any other.” – Jim Nantz, CBS Sports Commentator
Steve O’Grady
