The following text was written by
Adam in the months before he passed away. We hope his words will
provide inspiration to young golfers at the beginning of their
careers and will demonstrate the level of passion and commitment
needed to be successful.
Just an average guy
I have gone through life trying to do something productive
everyday. Trying to improve as a person and improving my knowledge
as each day goes by.
"The greatest thing about tomorrow is that I will be better than
I am today". Tiger Woods.
Whether it was hitting balls, improving my golf game, improving
my fitness or improving my understanding of life. One thing I have
a passion for is understanding people and why they do what they do.
I loved reading books about sports psychology and inspirational
stories about great athletes. Each book I read improved my
understanding of why they were the best at what they do, and how
you needed to think to succeed at anything in life. Suddenly, I was
sat in a hospital bed after having an operation. This was extremely
frustrating for me. I just wanted to get up and do something
constructive. My freedom had been taken away. Suddenly a great
appreciation comes for all the smaller things in life like being
able to walk, talk and even being able to play golf! That's when I
thought the only productive thing I can do lying here is read a
book: or even better write one. I know I'm only 23 now but I feel
like I have learnt so much in life so far that I wanted to share it
with others. Even if only my friends and family read this, or maybe
some others, hopefully they can learn something from some of the
mistakes I have made in my life.
"Every mistake made is another step forward, as long as you
learn from it". Thomas Edison
Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who
have made the most mistakes. So, it is important not to beat
yourself up when you do make one, but to make sure you learn from
it. Making a mistake and learning from it increases your wisdom and
therefore improves your understanding of life.
My experience with my brain tumour wasn't pleasant but if I were
asked whether to go through it all again with the same results, I
would! It has taught me so much about how sacred life is and that
you should always appreciate everything you have. There are not
many experiences which make you realise how much you have to be
thankful for, and I am grateful for this one. Life is so quick that
you never stop and think about the smaller things. Having a brain
operation that was a potential risk to my life made me realise what
I have to lose. A lot of people (especially Brits) get caught up in
the present moment and moan about the smallest and most
insignificant things in life, such as the weather or their job. If
they spent this time thinking about what they are grateful for and
what they have in their life they would live much happier lives. I
look at this experience as a positive one as I have learnt to be
thankful for everything I have in life. You always take your family
for granted; you always expect them to just be there, even if you
don't need them. Well I could not have got through this without
them and they were there every step of the way to support me. Every
time I was lonely in my hospital bed and some friends or family
would come to visit, it would make me well up. You can't buy
emotions like that.
I have definitely come out of this a stronger person. I feel
invincible now and that I can achieve anything I want. I believe
that the operation went well because I believed it would go well. I
know now I can control anything in my life with the power of my
mind.
Ever since my good friend Lee passed away, I have always asked
the question "what is the most important thing in life?" If I asked
many people this I would get many different responses. Some would
say wealth, health, friends, family or love. After searching for
the answer, I have realised it can be all of these things and more.
I believe the most important thing in life is "necessity".
Life changes from day to day, different situations arise which
take priority over others. I know that my priorities were a lot
different 4 months ago to what they are now. All that is necessary
for me now is to survive this operation and get back to being
healthy and tumour free. Whereas what was necessary 4 months ago
may have been something smaller like trying to win the golf
tournament I was playing. Life is like a book. It is made up of
chapters. Different stages in your life - for example your school,
university, marriage, kids, career etc. Each chapter is an
experience, which you should enjoy and learn everything you can
from it. Life changes so much that you cannot place importance on
one significant aspect. So surely the most important thing is what
is necessary at the time.
I guess the point I am trying to make is to always be thankful
and grateful for everything you are given in life. Never expect
things to just be there if you're not thankful for them, because
there are no guarantees in life. Anything can be taken from you at
any stage.
