[W Forum] Taking One Step Closer

It has already been nearly two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, we must accept the "With Corona" era, acknowledge the difficulties that have seeped into our daily lives, and work to overcome them. While many workers in various industries have faced hardships, there are also those who have benefited more than expected. A prime example is the golf industry. Recently, the age range of people enjoying golf has broadened.

Once, I gave a brief interview comparing my lifestyle and work process to golf. Some who remember that interview have misunderstood me. When I receive greetings like, "You must really like golf. Your golf score must be excellent," it puts me in an awkward position. I even regretted saying so much about golf back then, thinking, "I should have kept the golf talk to a minimum. Why did I bring it up?"

I was never outstanding from childhood, but I enjoyed running around with neighborhood kids, riding my bicycle outside, and had quite high physical fitness scores. Even in high school, I ranked first in physical education in my class. At least among women, I took pride in being good at sports. Even now, I sometimes look around to see if there are other more active or interesting sports I could take up as a hobby.

I never thought I had to start golf. The time and cost were significant burdens, and I had many other hobbies that interested me besides golf. However, as people around me started one by one, I became an outsider, and I frequently missed work-related occasions where golf was involved. Reluctantly, I was pushed into picking up a golf club. Both I and those around me thought, "She'll do well. She'll improve quickly beyond average," but those expectations were shattered. I swung at the ball but couldn’t hit it, and my hands hurt every time. When I apologized to those I played with, saying, "Sorry, let me try again once more," I really wanted to hide in a hole. Honestly, just the word "golf" was painful to think about. They say a person's character shows during a round, and my efforts to hide jealousy and self-doubt must have been clearly visible.

Now, things are different. It would be nice to say, "I dramatically improved through repeated efforts and became a great player," but my skills remain stagnant. Instead, I changed my mindset to try to like this friend called "golf."

Once I changed my mind, the benefits were many. Unlike other sports where you improve gradually just by moving your body, golf is on a different level. When you lift the club back, what kind of trajectory should it have? When you swing forward, should you rotate your lower body first? How fast should your arms come down? What about your wrists? My mind is incredibly complicated. If I slip up even once, the ball goes somewhere ridiculous. If I think about anything else, golf immediately notices. When spending time with this friend, I have to think only about this friend. How sensitive this sport is. Like trying to understand a delicate friend well, I gradually find it more charming.

Thanks to "golf," I try to develop a diligent and consistent habit, and I manage my emotions when things don’t go as planned. If effort doesn’t work, I try harder, believing that someday I will improve. This positive attitude has many similarities to life itself.

Although I am still stuck in the same place, having opened my heart, I believe we will become quite good friends someday. While getting closer to this friend, I also need to strengthen my attitude of not giving up easily and continuing to try.

Yoon Bowon, Sales Executive, Hana Financial Investment Club1WM Center

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.