“This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from a sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from the deepest places of your heart.”
These powerful words came from a Scottie Scheffler interview offering a rare glimpse at how even top-level professional success doesn’t guarantee life satisfaction or work-life balance. Scheffler is a PGA Tour golfer and is currently ranked Number 1 in the world.
“Why do I want to win so badly?” he continued. “I don’t know. Because if I win, it’s going to be awesome—for about two minutes.”
This comment resonated a lot for me. I’ve talked before about my experience as a nonprofit fundraiser. When you hit your annual fundraising goal, it should be this time for celebration, but it’s short lived!
I knew every year when I hit my fundraising goal that next year’s goal would be higher.
Scheffler ended his comments by saying this:
“I guess what I’m trying to say is…this is not the place to look for your satisfaction. This is something…where you can have a great appreciation for and a great amount of thankfulness for being able to do this. And it’s, I mean, like I said, it’s literally one of the most fun things that I can do in my entire life. I love being able to come out here and compete. But at the end of the day, it’s just not what satisfies me.”
Scheffler’s interview caused quite a stir in the sports world. He’s since said that none of the other Tour golfers have expressed anything but support for his comments, but others in the media have been critical.
What I hear in Scheffler’s comments is everything I’ve been saying about Wholistic Productivity.
Success vs. Fulfillment
Here’s a guy at the top of his game—literally and figuratively. He’s at the top of his profession, seemingly in a place other every other golfer (and many non-golfers) would envy being. Yet this success alone is not where he finds fulfillment and satisfaction.
Scottie Scheffler understands there’s more to life than professional success.
He talked about how important his family is to him and how he’d walk away from golf in a second if it came between him and his wife and son.
What I teach about with Wholistic Productivity is not just about achieving your professional goals. It’s about aligning your life with purpose and values.
This idea is so foreign to most of us because we’ve been programed our whole life to go after success at the office.
Get the big promotion.
Snag that corner office.
Work your way up the corporate ladder.
Here’s a guy standing on the top rung saying, “Meh!”
If you’ve already achieved professional success but still feel like something’s missing, maybe it’s time to look beyond the office and work toward a more meaningful work-life balance. That might mean also focusing on personal or purpose-driven goals that help bring lasting life satisfaction.
If you’re not sure how to do that or where to start, I can help.