Friday Forward - Different Strokes (#495)

At some point, we all need to pause, reflect, and ask ourselves “What’s the point?”

A few weeks ago, before one of the biggest tournaments of the golf season, top ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler delivered one of the most raw and grounded press conferences I’ve seen from a top athlete. His five-minute speech offered a rare, honest glimpse into the inner life of someone at the absolute peak of their profession.

Scheffler has won 22 PGA tournaments, including four major championships. He has earned over $100 million in winnings in his career and has been ranked No. 1 in the world for 100 consecutive weeks. Despite these extraordinary accolades, Scheffler admitted that winning often brings only fleeting joy and doesn’t satisfy what he called “the deepest places of your heart.”

I’ve heard similar reflections from high achievers across many different industries, often uttered once they’ve reached the top of their fields. And I’ve come to believe there’s a paradox built into high performance: while you always can keep climbing, that doesn’t mean you should.

Sometimes, the harder we push toward a goal, the easier it is to lose track of whether the path we’re on still matters to us. The view from the top rarely brings the fulfillment we expect. Arthur Brooks calls this the arrival fallacy: the belief that achieving a goal will bring lasting happiness, even though it often doesn’t. We chase certain rewards thinking they’ll complete us, only to find the satisfaction fades quickly once we get there. The problem isn’t the achievement itself, but the illusion that it will solve something deeper.

In that same vein, one line from Scheffler’s speech particularly hit home for me, and likely for many others:

“This is not the be-all and end-all… I’d much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.”

Importantly, Scheffler’s clarity wasn’t born from a dramatic life change or a moment of crisis. Instead, he simply talked about how quickly life moves on after a big victory. How the celebrations are short-lived. How his deepest fulfillment comes from the daily rhythm of being a husband, and now a father. He even admitted that if golf ever cost him those relationships, he’d walk away.

That kind of awareness and vulnerability is very rare in the moment, especially from someone at the apex of their prime. It’s something many people only discover much later, sometimes only after they’ve prioritized the wrong things for far too long and have regret as they get closer to the end of life.

Notably, Scheffler has no plans to quit golf. Even in that news conference, he emphasized his love for the game, and his belief that it’s a privilege to play. And he hasn’t lost any of his competitive fire: notably, he won the British Open just days after his reflective speech and played the best single round of his career.

Golf is no longer a summit Scheffler is chasing; it’s a path he walks with gratitude, perspective, and a clearer sense of what matters

Scheffler’s honesty offers valuable lessons for all of us:

• Reflection is critical. High achievers often put off the question—Is this still worth it?—until they hit a wall or burn out. Scheffler’s public reflection is a reminder that we don’t need to wait for that moment.

• Success needs a fuller definition. Scheffler hasn’t stopped competing. He simply redefined what winning means. For him, it now includes being present for dinners at home, bedtime routines, and the quieter but more enduring moments with his family.

• The journey matters more than the summit. Too many people fixate on goals they may not even enjoy once achieved. The allure of a mountain can blind us to whether we really want to be there in the first place.

• Keep tabs on what truly matters. Scheffler still loves golf. But it’s clear he’s determined not to let it cost him his most important roles off the course.

At some point, just as Scheffler did, we all need to pause, reflect, and ask ourselves “What’s the point?” That question may not be about whether a goal is worth it, but whether it still matters, and whether it will bring the fulfillment you’re hoping for.

Maybe it meant something once, but your priorities have changed. Or maybe it was someone else’s dream all along.

What might shift if you ask yourself honestly whether the path you’re on or the summit you’re chasing still leads somewhere you want to go?

Quote of The Week

“Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.” – Dale Carnegie

Have a great weekend!

-Bob
robertglazer.com

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