• Home
  • Welcome!
  • Mission Statement
  • The Compass Girls
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Champagne Living

Live the Good Life!

  • The Buzz
    • Men’s Corner
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Home
    • Snowbirds
  • Travel
    • Cruise
    • USA
      • Florida
      • Las Vegas
      • New York
    • Mexico
    • Europe
    • LGBTQ Travel
  • Food & Drink
    • Drink
    • Dine In
    • Dine Out
    • South Florida
  • Weddings
  • Cars & RVs
  • Gift Guides
You are here: Home / Buzz / Chase Your Dreams with a 2nd career

Buzz Mogul

Chase Your Dreams with a 2nd career

Things look pretty bad on the economic front right now, so I was shocked to learn that it may turn around and be just the opposite in a few years. Guest poster Keith Gockenbach gives us a little taste of what he did when he went for his dreams.

With about 12 million Americans out of work and another 2.5 million working less than they want, it’s surprising that we could be facing a labor shortage in the near future. In just six years,  there could be more jobs than people to fill them, according to recent research funded by MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures.

In addition, as many as 8 million people in this country have finished one career and started a second, says Keith Gockenbach, a chemical engineer who retired to pursue dual second careers as a professional golfer and author.

In his book, Inside, Outside, and On the Ropes: Life Lessons from Q-School and The Majors, Gockenbach writes about the lessons he learned while trying to make the PGA’s Champions Tour. They’re lessons that also apply to job hunters and those seeking a new, perhaps more gratifying career.

“I was able to pursue my dream but the odds were long. Looking back, I saw much of what I learned could easily apply to other professions. I learned these things on a golf course but they can work anywhere,” Gockenbach says. “Don’t sell yourself short in golf or in life.”

One he found most personally useful emerged as he battled the frustration and disappointment that come with weekly battles just to make the next tournament.

“You have to fight your way back the same way you’d eat an elephant,” he writes. “A little at a time. Patiently. Calmly. Pace yourself. One shot at a time.”

Some others:

• Know the rules.  Breaking a rule, even inadvertently, can cost you the game — or the job. And in real life, as in golf, ignorance is no defense. Don’t break the basic, common-sense rules associated with integrity – for instance, don’t lie on your resume. And do take time to learn the rules and expectations relevant to the job you want and the field you want to work in. 

• You can only take what the course gives you. You can’t live your life looking backward. If you make a misstep during an interview, don’t agitate about it all night. Get up the next morning and do something positive for someone.

• Don’t scrimp on the important stuff.  Buying a high-quality suit and new shoes before an important interview or presentation might cost $1,500, but it could earn you a better job or promotion. Invest your money where it pays off.

Gockenbach’s book chronicles his quest to play in professional golf’s Champion’s Tour for players 50 and older. It’s the story of a day-to-day struggle for someone reviving the dream of his adolescence fairly late in life.

His efforts crystallized in his final lesson: “Chasing a dream is a job, not a hobby.”

“It’s the extra two or three hours every day that the professionals put into practice (both physical and mental) that make a difference, even when they’re playing in a tournament,” he writes.

Keith Gockenbach grew up in Robinson, Ill., and caddied for pros during tournaments there. The top graduate in chemical engineering at Clemson University in 1977, he started a successful career at Eastman Chemical Co. He retired in 2004 from his first career to pursue his dream of professional golf. He played in the 2006 U.S. Senior Open and 2007 (British) Senior Open as well as six Champions Tour Q-Schools.

Please follow and like us:
error
fb-share-icon
Tweet
fb-share-icon


Leave a Comment

About Zipporah Sandler

Zipporah Sandler AKA Zippy is a lifestyle and travel specialist who after living everywhere from Providence to Paris found herself suddenly residing in South Florida (something she swore she’d never do).

Whether it be San Pellegrino water or Louis Roderer Cristal, Zippy suggests that you keep your life sparkling and your glass full.

« A quick peek – NV Perricone Acyl-Glutathione
Events: Fort Lauderdale »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Eat what I eat!

Black Friday 2020 Deal

Guide to a great New Year’s brunch

Click the center of the guide for a fullscreen view to shop from.

Giveaways

  • Retro 6 can mini fridge
Shopbop.com

Fast Free Shipping Worldwide

  • JUST ARRIVED
  • SHOP JACKET
  • SHOP RING

Fast Free Shipping Worldwide

JUST ARRIVED

  • MONROW

    Supersoft Vintage Shorts style

  • Jerome Dreyfuss

    Shop Jerome Dreyfuss Sandie 50mm Booties

  • Blank Denim

    Blank Denim Microsuede Pull On Flare Pants

  • Acne Studios

    Buy Now at Shopbop

  • adidas by Stella McCartney

    Buy Now at Shopbop

  • MISA

    Shopbop MISA

< >

SHOP JACKET

  • Levi's Red Tab

    The Trucker Jacket at Shopbop

  • Mackage

    Shop Mackage Short Lighweight Down Eryk-R Jac...

  • Baracuta

    Baracuta G9 Jacket

  • Naked & Famous

    Shop Naked & Famous Japan Heritage Denim Jack...

  • Ksubi

    Roarr Classic Jacket at Shopbop

  • The Very Warm

    Vandal Jacket by The Very Warm

< >

SHOP RING

  • TOM WOOD

    TOM WOOD Oval Larvikite Ring

  • Scosha

    Hammered Ring style

  • Miansai

    Flat Top Ring style

< >

Shop White One Piece Swimsuit, Wide Leg Jeans, Camis And Tanks, Blouses On Sale and more. Get this widget.

Follow for MORE Champagne Living

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram

Cars Bars & Pars – a men’s lifestyle blog

Dealspotr.com

Copyright © 2021 · Champagne Living Media LLC (2007)

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in