Rule No. 1: Play Golf.

My father was the most intelligent person I have known. He taught me how to play golf. This lesson has been one of the most important lessons I have ever learned. This may sound like an irrational thought, but I have fully considered this. Through golf, my father and I became friends. Spending time on the golf course allowed me to know the man I have called Dad. From golf, I learned the value of “family”.

In life, I’ve found that family is extremely important: without mine, I wouldn’t be writing this personal statement now. I remember as a child when I first began wearing glasses. I was holding my mother’s hand as I walked, and I looked down to my feet. I noticed that my feet were a lot closer to my face than normal, which caused me to think I had magically shrunk. My family members have held my hand, literally and figuratively, for as long as I can remember. As an adult, I now find myself holding their hands as well.

Rule No. 2: “Once it gets out that a pirate has gone soft, it’s just work, work, work all the time.” (Princess Bride)

I have discovered that to be successful in any field, 3 important qualities must be learned:

• have fun;
• be patient;
• stay disciplined.

While pirates are not famous for the latter two of these qualities, I think this creed to be one worth exploring. The first quality I have always possessed. This, I also learned from my father. He spent his life working at things that he enjoyed. If he didn’t enjoy what he was doing, he found something else. The most fun he had, had been as a mechanic, and he was lucky enough to rediscover that toward the end of his life.

But patience and discipline, these have been more difficult to master, and in some regards I am still learning. We live in a fast-food world, with everything provided on demand. Patience and the discipline necessary to obtain it are married now, because of this. I am a child of my society, but the fast food way of life is something against which I rebel. Patience and discipline have been mandatory to my success thus far.

Rule No. 3: Chivalry is not dead, but many of those who practiced it are.

Opening doors for someone is almost a lost art. Chivalry started as the code of conduct and behavior for knights of medieval times. Indeed, the word “chivalry” comes from the French “cheval”, or horse. As knights became famous for wooing ladies, the meaning of the word shifted.

But the art isn’t totally lost. My mother has seen to that, and those around me reap the benefits. In its current incarnation, chivalry is not about horses, or even how to treat a lady. Chivalry is the ability to treat others well, even those that one doesn’t know. Asking permission, saying “thank you”, and sincerely wishing the best are important. Chivalry means acknowledgment and respect.

Chivalry starts in our relationships with our friends and family. If we get it right we can apply it to others as well.

I have succeeded in my life to this point because I refuse to forget this.

The Road Ahead

Robert Frost said in “The Road Not Taken”:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

These rules are what I’ve found to be true for me to be successful in life. I don’t know what lies ahead for me, but I believe that I am going the right way. I fear that not everyone has found for themselves a road to personal success and happiness. I believe a path exists for everyone, and that path is sometimes difficult to find. I want to help others to get started on their less traveled road, and to help them be successful in life.

In the future, I would like to teach others to play golf, as my father taught me. One of the major reasons I once told him once that I thought I was a lot like him. He said I shouldn’t be like him; I should be better.

That’s a difficult goal, but I’m trying.