10/14/2026
You don’t have to see the entire path to keep moving forward 👣
Centuries ago, an ancient Chinese parable told the story of a farmer who lost his horse.
His neighbors called it terrible luck. The farmer simply replied, “Who knows?”
Days later, the horse returned with several wild horses. His neighbors celebrated his good fortune. Again, the farmer replied, “Who knows?”
The lesson? We often don’t understand the significance of what we’re experiencing until much later.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Stoic philosopher Epictetus taught that while we cannot control everything that happens to us, we can control our choices, our judgments, and how we respond.
Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, understood something equally important: Our responsibility is to focus on what the present moment requires of us.
Think about how closely this applies to golf. And life.
You won’t always understand why you’re struggling.
You won’t always see immediate results from your hard work.
You won’t always know when your next opportunity will present itself.
And you certainly won’t always know whether the setbacks you’re experiencing today are preparing you for something greater tomorrow.
But here’s what you CAN control:
→ Your effort when nobody is watching.
→ Your commitment when progress seems slow.
→ Your attitude when things don’t go your way.
→ Your willingness to keep showing up, learning, and improving.
The Stoics didn’t teach us to expect an easy journey. They taught us to develop the character necessary to navigate a difficult one.
In golf, the next shot deserves your full attention, regardless of what happened on the previous hole or what might happen on the next.
The same is true of your development.
Don’t become so consumed with where you want to be that you forget the importance of what you’re doing TODAY.
Keep putting one step in front of the other, even when you can’t see the next step.
Sometimes the greatest progress happens long before we recognize it.
TRUST YOUR PROCESS. CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN. KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
