If we do not define the concept of ‘success’ in a meaningful way during our lifetime we will find ourselves in the worst possible position in life; i.e., looking back during our twilight years without being able to judge the value of our lives.

Too many men (not many women – yet) who find themselves in this ‘empty’ position late in life routinely conclude that their lives have had little meaning, which often leads to the following heartbreaking consequences during their later years: depression, excessive drinking, womanizing, broken marriages that lead to isolated deaths and a growing fear of dying because these men continue to hope for a last chance to redeem their lives.

One of the most widely accepted truisms on this subject is: ‘People who live deep fulfilling lives will not fear dying.’

I’ve seen it both ways through a lifetime in golf where many wealthy men (always in the minority) have coasted through undefined lives and paid a heavy price during their later years; while many others have lived a comfortable rewarding life of serving mankind, caring for each other and, consequently, have peacefully moved through their remaining years.

What Is Success?

The issue at hand, therefore, is: How do we best define success so that it will have meaning in our lives? Interestingly, the most frequently offered definitions of success quickly fail the test; for example: (i) earning a lot of money fails the test because money too often creates more problems than it resolves; (ii) having a great career fails the test because great careers too often sacrifice family stability; (iii) happiness fails the test because it is an ‘intervening’ circumstance of life that we can not control; and (iv) having a lot of friends fails the test because friendships do not impact the core decisions we make in life.

The one enduring definition of ‘success’ that I believe stands the test of time and best serves mankind is:

The guaranteed path to personal success in life is to ‘make a difference’ in other people’s lives.

It’s that simple and uncomplicated. Because the opportunity to make a difference in other people’s lives is virtually endless, your opportunity to achieve success in your lifetime is also virtually endless.

Don’t miss the chance early in life to make a difference because not only will this help mold your children’s lives for the better but it will also promise to bring early success during your life’s span — as well as a true lasting happiness that cannot be found any other way in life. Its never too early or too late to start down this path in life. Act accordingly.

Retirement might be the most dangerously misunderstood concept throughout our society; for these reasons: first – we save for half a lifetime to better our lifestyle in retirement; then – we search the horizons for where we want to live in retirement; but, we rarely talk about what we will do in retirement.

This is a huge mistake because without a definitive retirement agenda mental inactivity prevails over mental activity with the result that the human brain slows down precipitously thereby precipitating both mental and physical declines that short-circuit the quality of life for our remaining years.

“Just like withdrawal from smoking, drinking and taking drugs inflicts disorder and pain on the body; so too does a quick withdrawal from the high-energy every day use of the brain produce body disorder and pain in the form of deteriorating mental/physical health and, consequently, living shorter lives.”

Through my long career in golf I have worked with hundreds of highly successful men and women who when they retired fell into two categories of people:

Category #1: Those who pre-planned an active retirement lifestyle (i.e., starting a small business; consulting; committing to meaningful charitable work and/or challenging hobbies; teaching; writing, etc.) that would require the continued energetic use of their brainpower. Barring a catastrophic illness, these men and women continued enjoying a healthy vibrant lifestyle for the “natural” duration of their lives.

Category #2: Those who failed to pre-plan for retirement and instead defaulted into a leisurely lifestyle of playing golf, traveling, gardening, etc. that requires little high-energy brainpower. Consequently, all too often in this circumstance, the brain short-circuits, undermines the quality of life and shortens lives. I’ve seen it all firsthand.

Pre-planning Options:

In good economic times – it behooves every working American to pre-plan for their retirement years in a manner that assures the continued brisk use of their brainpower as suggested above – with the luxury of not having to generate further income.

However, in bad economic times, when Trends magazine advises that “the future of many golf courses is highly questionable” – pre-planning for a “income generating” backup career is no longer an option for golf course superintendents; rather a “safety valve” necessity that should be addressed immediately because it takes time to develop meaningful career options.

Some may think developing a second career in this economy is a bad dream at best. Not really, because while a bad economy disrupts everyone’s economic lives, it creates such great human need (the “fuel” that drives free enterprise) across America that creative thinking superintendents should be able to find that income producing niche or two where their wide ranging proven skill sets can effectively address the people’s needs – inside or outside golf.

“The ‘silver lining’ of a bad economy is that while it negates opportunity for so many, it generates unique new career opportunity for the “innovative” thinking with proven skill sets to bring badly needed service and products to the American people.”

Believe it or not, opportunity knocks in a bad economy. Seek and you shall find; hopefully, with the help of chapter outreach programming.

To both my surprise and disappointment, career-planning procrastination appears to be in the DNA of most golf course superintendents. This truly amazes me because golf course superintendents’ day job requires them to plan ahead and to meet deadlines year round – which they do routinely well. Yet, all evidence suggests that superintendents consistently fail to pre-plan when it comes to career and family welfare issues. For example:

• Roughly 90% of the hundreds of resumes that I have been asked to review through the years have been received within the one to three-week period immediately prior to these candidates submitting an application for a vacant job/position. More superintendents than not prepare/update their resumes the same week they apply for a new job. Last minute, hurried resume preparation produces an inferior product that negates job opportunity.

• Knowing that roughly 60% of all job interviews are assigned to candidates with personal web sites and that approximately 70% of all new jobs are being awarded to candidates with personal web sites – less than one in five superintendents has a personal web site today.

This situation gets further aggravating once we note that despite my February 25th blog message advising that high quality personal web sites can be prepared through Playbooks For Golf for highly affordable fees – only eight superintendents have availed themselves of this unique opportunity to date.

Applying for a job today without a personal web site is tantamount to surrendering before the battle begins.

• Superintendents are slow in taking the initiative in this dire economy to voluntarily cut their operating budgets and tie their salaries to these same declining budgets. Instead, they wait for their employers to tell them what to do (thereby forsaking all ‘brownie point’ opportunities) and, accordingly, whether they will be able to keep their jobs.

With ‘hurricane’ job warnings in the air, superintendents and their families are not running for cover; rather, they are naively staying at the beach playing with their children.

Again, it is time for leaders to lead before an entire profession is compromised.