In one of my college English classes, I was given an assignment along with everyone else to write a book review. I was getting good grades on these routine assignments, but was sick of writing them. I actually wanted to become a better writer, not just earn a good grade. I decided to risk failure and petitioned my teacher to let me write a fictional story based on a character in the book. If I neglected to put in the effort, I’d accept a failing grade, but I needed him to agree to not fail me simply because I didn’t stick to the assignment or couldn’t write good fiction. After some persuasion, the teacher finally agreed. I worked really hard on that paper because I was a complete novice at writing fiction. I ended up doing ok, but not as well as I would have done writing the book review.…

I was at a golf tournament a few weeks ago and watched some of the world’s best players work their way around the course.  One of the things you notice, and hear great golfer’s talk about, is that while they take dead aim, they also plan on where to miss. Why would the most accomplished golfers in the world plan on where to miss?  It’s because the game is hard.  They can’t execute perfectly every time.  If something goes slightly wrong, they want to make sure their ball lands in a safe area so they’ll have a chance with their next shot. The same lesson applies to life, whether personal or business.  You cannot execute perfectly every time.  Most of the decisions you make will be impacted by circumstances and events that were unforeseeable or beyond your control.  Plan for the miss and give yourself some margin for things to…