Golfing In Heels

Taking Chances and Winning…a Year Later

/ Kirsten Flory / 1 Comment

A year ago this week I took a big chance: I switched careers.  I had been with my previous company for almost 8 years, and loved my job.  I had great colleagues, a nice salary, and opportunities to meet new people.  So why would I consider making the move?

“If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you are not sure you can do it, say yes- then learn how to do it later.”

~Richard Branson

When opportunity knocks, do you open the door?  I feel like my best opportunities come when I least expect it.  In fact, sometimes I don’t even know they are opportunities until I stop for a minute and put myself into the equation.

Fear is an adrenaline pumping emotion that can cause us to fight like a wild animal, or run away to a safe place as fast as possible.  How do you respond to fear?  The thought of going from a comfortable salary to 100% commission made my heart beat wild, but it also made me excited.  I changed industries from banking to commercial real estate, and had a lot to learn.  Here’s the reason I made the jump: I knew deep down I could do it, and that sense of confidence drives me through the ups and downs of this feast or famine industry.

I encourage you, dear reader, to think of what you are really good at.  Are you insanely organized?  Do you love to solve problems, meet new people, or never miss a deadline?  You have skills that are engrained in you that make you invincible to anything that comes up against you.  You just need to know how to engage them to win.  Use these skills and make them your talents.  The rest will be easy.

In addition to a career change this year, I also published a book.  Little did I know that during this same time, a savvy gal out in San Diego, California was also making her dreams come true.  Also making a career change was the founder of  GOLFopolitan.  I was contacted a few months ago by her to be a featured book in their golf tournament displays.  Writing this blog was my introduction to GOLFopolitan, and I can’t wait to see this company grow!

So what does the next year look like for me?  Well, if it’s anything like the past 12 months, then the sky is the limit!  Stay tuned!

 

 

The Finish Line is in Sight

/ Kirsten Flory / Leave a comment

For those of you that have been reading my blog for awhile know that I am writing a book.  This process has not only been a creative outlet for me, but an amazing learning process of how to get a book published.  I am excited to say that the finish line is in sight!  I have submitted my final proof to the publisher, and ordered a hard copy to give a final glance before Golfing in Heels goes live on Amazon.com

Book writing and publishing has proved to be a marathon, and not a walk in the park.  Just like any new task, the arduous process of researching how to do something takes time.  When a task seems daunting to you, how do you go about getting started, and more importantly, what pushes you to cross the finish line?

Getting started is the easy part.  In fact, all of us have started many many projects, only to have them collect dust on the shelves of our homes and our minds.  Last fall, as I was writing my book, I was contacted by several self publishing companies almost weekly to check on the progress of my book.  I had signed no contracts, nor made any obligations to any of these companies, but they hounded me hard.  I appreciated their enthusiasm about my work, but actually felt a bit under the gun to get my part finished.

When I finished writing, I was treated to some good feedback from others about my writing pace.  “You wrote a book in less than a year?” many of my friends said.  I thought one year was an eternity in the book writing world, but maybe not.  With working full time, my husband working full time, and having two active kids, writing is a hobby for me and I try to squeeze in as much of it as my lifestyle allows.

So, as you consider getting started on a new project, don’t sweat your pace.  If you do find that you tend to start more things than you finish, take a little time to think about how you want the outcome to look, and how others can help you in your process.

I Am Not a Golfer

/ Kirsten Flory / Leave a comment

Sneak peek from Golfing In Heels…

On my quest to discover why I and others are not golfers, I have been amused by the responses I have received.  Most women respond to me with a deer in the headlights look, and stammer out their answer with something like “oh, I don’t do that sort of thing.”  When I follow this up with “what sort of thing?” I get a “you know, that golf sort of thing.”

So what in the world is this “golf sort of thing?”  I’ll tell you it’s not some big secret.  It’s not scary.  It won’t hurt.  It’s not bad for you, and if you give it a try, you may want to come back for more.

Women have the tendency to tell you everything they are not.  They are not handy, athletic, good with power tools, or able to lift large objects.  What I’ve witnessed is that women are stronger than steel, have the endurance of a tri-athlete, and the perseverance to stick it out until it’s done right.  They will kick-ass and then melt softly into the background so others can take the glory.

If you think about the activities you were engaged in growing up, did any of them include golf?  I am probably an anomaly, but even with my early introduction to the game of golf, I still don’t consider myself in the golfer category.  What I want to know is: why aren’t we taking out our daughters / grand-daughters / nieces / little sisters out to the course?  Golf is definitely not a contact sport (well, that is if you don’t hit anyone with your wayward ball) and doesn’t require padding, a helmet or special shoes (for the most part).  I don’t even consider the game to be even all that masculine.  Sure, it’s a sport, and the more athletic you are, the greater your potential is for fine tuning your strokes, distance and more.  There also is nothing in the rule book that recommends an appropriate age to begin, or for that matter, an age to stop