Two Day Magazine

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift...that’s why they call it the present.”

I’m standing on the first tee at probably one of the biggest golf tournaments I will ever play in: LPGA Final Stage Qualifying School. All I can think about is to make contact and get the first shot over with. I accomplish my goal of making contact and still end up with a disappointing bogey. With nerves in high gear, I found myself at four over par after 11 holes, kicking myself for poor decisions made earlier in the day.

If any of you have ever played golf, you have experienced just how hard it is to forget a bad show you’ve hit that day. It’s even hard to forget a bad shot you’ve two two weeks ago. And as you quickly learn, dwelling over shots that are over and done with only adds to the frustration and makes it harder to focus on the shot at hand.

Perhaps the greatest lesson I’ve learned through playing golf is just how important it is stay in the present.

The present is defined as “being, existing, or occurring at this time or now.” Sure, we all have to learn from the past so we don’t make the same mistake in the future. However, many of us get fixated on the past or the outcome of the future. We either beat ourselves up for our mistakes or dwell on the ‘what ifs’ of the future.

But as contrary as this may sound, I believe the “live for the moment” motto is complete crap. Call me crazy, but when I look at my generation, talk with my generation, spend time with my generation, I can't help but think we are striving for more than what we have in an metaphysical sense.

Our materialistic needs are met everyday through the clothes we wear, food we eat, houses we live in, and things we buy. Most of us have more than enough. But we continue asking ourselves "What is my purpose?"  It's an important question to ask in the journey of life. How can we develop our talents and make our life useful instead of a waste? I see this with people everyday: talented, yet not driven, with no desire in life except to live for the now and not think about who they want to be ten years from today.

What we have is an unclear definition of what it means to ‘stay present’. Is it an idea of being aware of the past and understanding how making the same certain choices will most likely lead to the same results? Or is it the idea of preparing ourselves for the future and what it will eventually hold? Or do neither of these concepts allow us to truly stay in the moment?

I have to do this in golf all the time. I will find myself having to make a choice to hit a shot that could either cost me a shot or save me a shot. I have to weigh the percentages and go over in my head when these shots have rewarded me. I also have to set myself up for future shots. So much planning and methodical thinking goes into the game of golf. A good golfer will play to their strengths and set themselves up to be in a good position for their next shot. Those who don’t plan and just carelessly hit, often find themselves in precarious situations having to struggle more on the next shot.

That’s why planning and learning is key. The key is taking all the knowledge you have gathered up to this moment and applying it to the present situation.

So whether you’re teeing it up on the course, or just faced with a decision that is a result of your past and can affect your future, remember this: there’s no time like the present, and use your past experiences and future dreams to motivate you to make things happen in the here and now.

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Keep up with Anya on Twitter @anyaalvarez.

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