We find inspiration in all kinds of stories. Here are some videos and articles we think are worth your time.
A Story of Resilience, Purpose, and Possibility
At six years old, Willy’s life changed forever. After repeated violence and threats from his stepfather, he left home and spent much of his childhood surviving on the streets. He worked caring for other people’s animals to earn enough money for food and attended school only when he could afford to. For years, survival, not golf, was his daily focus.
But everything changed unexpectedly. At 13 years old, while working as a ball boy for a family whose daughters played tennis, Willy wandered next door to a golf course. There he met a caddie, picked up a golf club for the first time, and discovered what happiness is.
As a young caddie, he often spent the little money he earned for the chance to borrow one of the three available golf clubs to compete against the other caddies on the green after hours. For the first time in his life, Willy finally felt safe. Having a club in his hand changed everything. And golf has continued to be his safe space ever since.
Within just a few years, Willy progressed from an unknown caddie to captain of Uganda’s National Team, eventually becoming one of the country’s most accomplished golfers. Before turning professional, he won 22 amateur tournaments, including the Uganda Open and Burundi Open, and represented Uganda internationally.
Throughout his career, financial limitations, not talent, have often determined which tournaments he could enter and which opportunities he had to leave behind. He has frequently qualified for the DP Tour or been one shot away from PGA qualifiers but had to stop due to not being able to afford tournament entrance fees and travel expenses. The average professional golfer spends between $120-200K per year just to stay competitive on development tours, with PGA Tour base expenses between $200-300k and top-tier PGA Tour stars spending upwards of $1.5 million.
Willy has never had this kind of money and has often caddied to bootstrap his own golf expenses. Yet his determination has never changed.
Today, Willy is pursuing one final opportunity to compete at golf’s highest levels while building a platform that extends beyond the game through executive relationships, youth inspiration, corporate partnerships, speaking, and storytelling. When asked why he continues chasing the dream, his answer has little to do with golf.
“What drives me today isn’t just golf. It’s the children who know my story. If I quit now, I feel like I’d be giving up on them too.”
For sponsors, partnering with Willy is more than supporting a professional athlete. It is joining one of the most compelling, and still largely untold, stories in professional golf.
WillyDeus
Professional Golfer • Competing Worldwide
Born in Uganda • Based in Palm Beach, FL
Contact: (918) 231-6837
willydeuskitata@gmail.com
Fellow Grinders, I encourage you to set aside ten minutes to view the attached Ted talk by Dr. Allison Ledgerwood. Dr Ledgerwood is a professor at UC Davis who has done extensive work on the importance of positivity and how human beings are unfortunately wired to hold on to negative thoughts while letting go of positive ones. This of course means that we are wired in such a way that we have to WORK at being optimists. The good news as you will see in the video, we are all capable of pushing back on this instinct and reengineering our brains to allow positivity to come through! So keep grinding and stay positive because while we all face challenges at the end of the day, GRINDERS WIN!!
Getting stuck in the negatives (and how to get unstuck) | Alison Ledgerwood | TEDxUCDavis
What is Winning?
Grinders, please click on this link to hear some inspiring words from Coach Frank Dick, one of the greatest Track coaches of all time. He talks about the importance of making space in our lives for those who ask for our help and want to improve. He also has a wonderful approach that focuses on positivity and the power of incremental improvements. The opportunity of course is to take these lessons learned from sports and apply them to our everyday challenges. Please enjoy the short video and KEEP GRINDING!!!
The American Mockery of Britain masks a deeper insecurity
From the Financial Times, May 11, 2023 by Jemima Kelly
A Pew Research survey carried out last month found that 71 percent of Americans think the US will be “less important in the world” by 2050 — up from 60 per cent in late 2018.
“Could their mockery be masking an anxiety that they might feel when they look at a country that once ruled over a quarter of the Earth’s surface, but has long lost its status as a global power?”
The Restorative Power of Never Giving Up
From the Washington Examiner, April 23, 2023 by Salena Zito, National Political Reporter
When Drew Maggi stepped into the batter’s box in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, fans at PNC Park knew they were about to witness something extraordinary. Maggi, a 33-year-old infielder who had played over 1,100 games for over 13 seasons in the minor leagues, was about to take his first pitch in the Majors Wednesday evening.
“The crowd and his fellow players rewarded him with an emotional standing ovation.”
U.S. is polarizing faster than other democracies, study finds
from Brown University, January 21, 2020
Americans’ feelings toward members of the other political party have worsened over time faster than those of residents of European and other prominent democracies, concluded a study co-authored by Brown economist Jesse Shapiro.
“The researchers found that polarization had also risen in Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland in the last 40 years, but to a lesser extent.”
New Study Finds that Including Negative Terms in Headlines Drives More Clicks
from Enlightio, March 21, 2023 by Andrew Hutchinson
If you’re wondering why social division feels more prevalent and present than ever before, this could provide some insight.
According to a new study, which analyzed over 105k variations of story headlines from Upworthy.com, stories with more negative terms in the headline drive more clicks, while positive terms decrease engagement, based on user response.
“…stories with more negative terms in the headline drive more clicks, while positive terms decrease engagement, based on user response.”
Why Is Optimism Important? (26 Benefits of Optimism)
from Enlightio, December 21, 2022
Life is full of surprises. You never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. While that can be exciting, it can also be nerve-wracking. When something happens that we didn’t expect, it throws our whole world off balance. This can lead to negative feelings. One way to combat these negative feelings is through optimism.
Optimism is a positive attitude toward the future in general or toward a particular outcome. It is a mental attitude that sees new things as opportunities, transitions as improvements, pitfalls as setbacks, and challenges as learning experiences.
“Optimism is a positive attitude toward the future in general or toward a particular outcome.”
The Power of Positive Thinking
from John Hopkins Medicine
Here’s heartwarming news: People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.
That’s the finding from Johns Hopkins expert Lisa R. Yanek, M.P.H., and her colleagues. The finding held even in people with family history who had the most risk factors for coronary artery disease, and positive people from the general population were 13 percent less likely than their negative counterparts to have a heart attack or other coronary event.
“People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack…”
