Life Lessons in Values in Life from Tiger Woods

The Tiger Woods controversy interests me almost nothing at all. Nonetheless, this post is centered about Tiger Woods. But its more about the lessons in values from his recent statement.



Here's the statement excerpt of interest:

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me. [...] Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count.

Does that last sentence remind you of personal development master Jim Rohn? One of the foremost lessons that Jim Rohn taught was that it's not what you get in life that matters; it's what you become in life that matters most.

What else strikes me is the simplicity of Woods' words. He talks about living by core values. He talks about character. He talks about rules we all live by.

And what happens when we go against these intrinsic values? Well, if you go against your values in life you could end up in a similar situation to Tiger Woods -- feeling like a stranger in your own skin and knowing that life is not right.

All of these are "guts" of what self improvement pro's like Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and Brian Tracy base what their teachings on. It also reminds me of Og Mandino's Secrets of Success (one of my absolute favorite audio books of all time) who talks about the rules in the game of life. Whether we are Tiger Woods, Donald Trump, or McDonald's man we all play by the same rules. Once we're able to really grasp that idea we can make leaps and bounds in our lives!

Of course, after we realize there are rules in this game, we've got to learn what the rules of life are. After that, we have to LIVE by those rules. Otherwise, you end up with a situation like Tiger Woods -- ashamed, hurt, and feeling lousy.

If you don't know the rules of life then I urge you to listen to Og Mandino's "Secrets of Success" audio book. I really do believe it's one of the best hours you will spend on yourself this year.