I’m not a golfer, but have you ever heard of the term, “mulligan?” A mulligan is a second chance to perform an action, usually after the first chance went wrong through bad luck or a blunder. The derivation of this word can’t be confirmed, but it’s likely that it started in the early 1900’s due to some man named Muliigan who needed a fair number of do-overs so he could successfully navigate the golf course.

I love it! If it didn’t go as planned—DO-OVER! Mulligan, whoever he was, personified, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” He didn’t walk off the course and quit the sport forever. He didn’t ruminate over his bad shot for days, sinking into self-doubt. He didn’t allow lack of confidence to take over along with shame and humiliation. No, none of that happened because he simply declared, “Mulligan,” and repeated the action until he got his desired result. Brilliant!

Where in your job or your life do you need to shout, “Mulligan!” Get rid of your “woe is me” story, go grab your clubs and a new ball, and resume play! It’s a do-over. You don’t necessarily get to play THAT ball over, you get a new ball. Make a new plan, You have some experience with the course now, so you may choose a different approach. Today is MULLIGAN DAY! It’s time for a do-over. Whoever this Mulligan man was—Thank you! You’re brilliant and so forgiving.

With Gratitude,

Beth