A professional golfer stands before the decisive putt.
He breathes.
Bends down.
Eyes on the path of the ball.
That is the final pit.
In the finals.
He hits.
The ball rolls.
Falls into the hole.
Everyone rushes onto the field.
Applause.
Celebration.
His wife bursts into tears.
He is surprised, asking:
"Did you win?"
Yeah.
He wins.
That hit is worth exactly one million dollars.
And he has no idea.
This is a true story told by Lanny Bassham — a specialist in mental performance.
It makes me think a lot.
Because of what is special about that putt,
is not in the outcome.
It's special because the performer has no idea what it means.
The more I think, the more I realize the paradox:
The more I focus on the result, the easier I fail.
Just like when you force a ripe fruit to ripen quickly,
it won't be sweet.
Just like when you try to do something 'great',
what you create is often just... stress.
Eastern philosophy calls this wu wei —
right action, without forcing, without straining for results.
You do what needs to be done.
At the right moment.
With a clear mind.
And you let the outcome... come when it comes.
If that putt fails,
it might be because he 'wanted it to succeed'.
But in reality,
it is just the thousandth hit —
executed like any other time.
Because it is not special,
it becomes perfect.
And here is what we often forget most:
We forget what game we are playing.
Money, fame, achievement —
are just social rewards laid out to guide.
They are not wrong.
But they are not the real games.
The real game is what you define for yourself.
That is what you do when no one is watching you.
When there is no glory, no spotlight.
When the only reward is that you live true to yourself.
I used to write for the reads.
For the numbers.
For the recognition.
But the more so,
the further I drift away from the true joy of writing.
Then one day, I realize:
The best writing is when you don't think about success.
That is when I forget myself.
When only the act of writing remains.
When I fall into a state that people call flow.
Flow is not random.
Not by chance.
Flow is the result of a clear mind.
A steady preparation.
A noise-free environment.
And an attitude of non-attachment to results.
Flow is when you do the right thing.
In the right way.
At the right moment.
Without trying to hold onto anything.
You cannot choose when the million-dollar putt of your life appears.
You can be sure of one thing:
When that moment comes, you are fully present.
Play your real game.
And at that moment, you don't need to know the outcome anymore —
because you have won a long time ago.
