golfA bit over a week ago, Englishman Justin Rose won the United States Open golf championship. I plop myself in front of the television for the final round of this tournament every year. It’s a tournament that year after year humbles the greatest golfers in the world primarily because the course layout rewards only well-placed shots while often severely punishing errant ones. So the tournament is not only a supreme test of patience, but one that demands steadiness and endurance.

Justin Rose had just the right temperament to win. He had a look of resolve, didn’t overly celebrate his good shots, and even more importantly, took his wayward shots in stride.

To be successful in any of life’s venues, we have to find and develop the wherewithal not to succumb to the slings and arrows coming our way. We’ll all make bad decisions – bad, but not fatal. This means that we can start something over, or change course in mid-stream pursuant to a favorable outcome. This is where steadiness and endurance comes in.

The most successful and contented people I know out endure others who long ago threw in the towel because of disappointment they couldn’t recover from. The temperament to keep enduring setbacks and the steadiness required to stay a course that eventually bears fruit, is what separates the leaders of the pack from those who follow.