There was a tremendous profile of Rory McIlroy in the New York Times recently about his childhood, his development and his global success. This phrase about a McIlroy in diapers watching his pops bang balls on the range really struck me.

It’s from the manager of the golf club where McIlroy grew up.

“I often think to myself of those early days of him just sitting there (watching his dad hit). There’s a lot to be said for kids who see something that they want but can’t get yet. I often wonder if that’s what did it.”

Like a carrot in a green jacket dangling in front of McIlroy, the kid has been chasing ever since.

 

“I realized that I needed to live a life that reflected the themes of the stories I wanted to one day tell, and when I veered off that path later on, it was time to make a change.” -Adam Braun (The Promise of a Pencil)

“Here’s my best advice: ‘make the little decisions with your head and the big ones with your heart.'” -Kevin Roberts (The Promise of a Pencil)

“Nothing is more potent or deceptive than the competing interests of another great opportunity.” -Adam Braun (The Promise of a Pencil)

I’ve never known something to be more true than this statement.

I liked this honesty from Tim Challies in an old interview with Matt Perman (What’s Best Next) on how most blogs (mine included) actually happen:

“Most days I sit down at my computer at 8 AM and just see what happens…After a couple of days of ruminating I find that the words tend to come quite easily.

“Occasionally when the muse is speaking I will sit down and write out several posts at once. But far more often I write and post all at the same time. I’m not nearly as organized as some might think.

“But I find this adds to the immediacy, freshness and honesty of the blog. What I’m thinking today I’m writing about today. Or that’s the hope.”

–WBN

I especially like that last part and I hope it’s not a copout on not planning well. I think of it like this:

When I call a friend to discuss a game or event, I don’t plan ahead and do a bunch of research — I just give my unfettered thoughts in the moment.

This works especially well for sports blogs and, if you’re well-versed enough in your given industry, probably all blogs.

A rigid matter was the law,
demanding brick, denying straw,
But when with gospel tongue it sings,
it bids me fly and gives me wings

-Ralph Erskine (1685-1752)

This has been boiling over in my head for a few days now.

“Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”

-Tim Kizziar (What’s Best Next)

This is brilliant on trolls:

“Most of all, don’t litigate. Don’t make your case, call your witnesses, prove you are right. Because the troll knows how to sway a jury even better than you do.”

–Seth Godin

That’s where most of my time-wasting comes in. I don’t let trolls beat me down long-term or necessarily affect me in the short-term, but I love to litigate with them.

This is from the terrific book on how and why Christians should be productive:

Here’s what Scott Berkun says about projects in The Art of Project Management : “More often than not, I’ve found that obsessing on process is a warning sign of leadership trouble: it can be an attempt to offload the natural challenges and responsibilities that managers face into a system of procedures and bureaucracies that cloud the need for real thought and action

-Matt Perman