The Gift of Mulligans: Sometimes All You Need Is a Second Chance

By Dave Morris

2020 Human Relations Indie Book Award Gold Medal Winner!

 

2020 Whitney Award Nominee

"You cannot read this book and ever again see your life through the same eyes."    - Bruce Call, author of The Toppled Cross and other Jamie Becket fiascos

What if after everything you ever learned, you could change anything you ever did? 

He's devoted his life to giving people second chances, but self-help guru Jordan O'Brien harbors a dark secret. After plugging his best-selling book on national television, he is confronted by a mysterious person with a shocking claim about Jordan's past.  

Will Jordan be forced to risk everything he's ever achieved for a high-tech chance to orchestrate his own do-over? 

Or will dredging up his past prove him to be a fraud? 

As you follow Jordan's journey, you'll discover the path to redemption is paved with faith, love and Mulligans--lots of Mulligans.

The Gift of Mulligans is a modern-day parable in the tradition of The Greatest Salesman in the World, The Carpenter, and The Noticer. 

If you believe it's never too late to become what you might have been, then you'll love this inspirational tale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Power of Mulligans LLC
• Release date: Mar 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734288216

Dave Morris

Dave Morris has been in the people development business for over 30 years. He teaches individuals to give themselves a second chance to achieve their own vision of success and wellness. He helps them overcome fear of failure, career missteps, and other obstacles to achieving success within their current occupations or in entrepreneurial endeavors. With an MBA from Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Business, Dave has spent 20 years in the private sector and 17 years with a global religious non-profit organization. For over ten years he developed training programs and directed global creative messaging efforts for faith-based educational materials and events across multiple cultural and linguistic boundaries. This was accomplished while teaching best practices and performance improvement to hundreds of employees, volunteers, and contractors in 30 different countries. Dave has spoken to youth and religious groups, business conferences and to international television and satellite audiences. He is available to teach individuals or groups how to adopt a "Mulligans Mindset" to achieve success and wellness in their personal and business lives.

Book preview

For Karen, my one and only

1

In the End, There It Is

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39,000 feet over Cincinnati — Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Whenever he closed those steel-gray eyes, the message of his recurring dreams became clear: scorecards loaded with victories were no match for empty dance cards racked up along the way. At times, he felt like The Music Man, moving from town to town to stay a step ahead of the secrets those dreams would never let him forget. Locked in the memory of his past, they were not to be overwritten because he simply couldn’t break the code.

Oh, he hid them well beneath the veneer of a wealthy, successful business consultant and now best-selling author, but the truth was  — as it always had been — that this 56-year-old bachelor for life had grown weary of running from his past, pretending that those three vivid memories, if ever revealed, wouldn’t prove him a fraud.

It’s been written that you can’t go home again, but Jordan O’Brien had made a fortune by changing lives through second chances. After all, who’s never wished they could go back and try something over again? 

So, that’s exactly what he delivered to his clients — a Mulligan, a do-over, a second chance to successfully relive a past failure. With his strategies and techniques, thousands of people had found success as they rewrote their stories, reinvented themselves, or just gained the confidence to contribute at a higher level at work or in their personal lives. 

To them, Jordan O’Brien was a miracle worker! But where was his miracle? 

Driven by the need to achieve, he’d long ago chosen the pretense of stoicism over vulnerability, intensity over weakness. He’d always been a good man — focused, bright, and ethical — but his personal brand demanded that, to deliver the greatest value to his prospective clients, he remain free from the clouded judgement that accompanies deep emotional bonds. At least, that’s the story he’d stuck to all these years!

So, there he was, free and available to go anywhere to help any client (for the right price, of course) anytime, without disappointing anyone who counted on him to be there. His own passions were fulfilled vicariously through the success he delivered to individuals and companies as he helped them rewrite their stories. 

But it didn’t matter how many lives he had changed. Or how many companies he had helped turn around. Or how much money he had in the bank. He simply could not shake the implications of pieces of his own past eluding his ability to re-script them to his advantage.  Churchill said it best, he mused about the truth: In the end, there it is.

Trouble sleeping, Mr. O’Brien? inquired the flight attendant.

Only when I close my eyes, he smiled forcefully.

We’re still almost two hours from landing at JFK. How about a nightcap to help you relax?

No problem relaxing — just sleeping. Besides, there’s always work to be done. Make it a Diet Coke, please...and keep ’em coming.

Adjusting the first-class seat to full upright position, he pulled his iPad from the pocket in front and checked his calendar. The engineering team had pulled out all the stops. On Thursday morning, they would unveil the culmination of his life’s work. His legacy depended completely on the reliable functionality of the machine. If this prototype does what it should, nobody will care that this stuff hasn’t worked for me. They’ll only worry about what’s in it for them...

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The limo dropped him at the WestHouse New York hotel just after midnight. Tonight would find him as a guest (finally) on the David Letterman Show. A wee-hours date with the health club, including a massage, was just what the doctor ordered to hide every little chink in his armor. For some unknown, nagging reason, an appearance on Letterman had always felt like something he had to do — as though it were the key he needed to open the next door to his future. Wherever this leads me, I’m gonna enjoy the ride!

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The next morning, from the limo’s back seat, his iPhone buzzed. There was a simple text message containing two uppercase letters — CM (Call Me) — followed by a second message: NOW!

Obediently, Jordan pressed the screen twice and waited for the answer.

Oh, Mrs. Riley, he teased. Where’s the fire?

The hotel says you aren’t in your room, she insisted.

Guilty, came the reply.

After working night and day on the two 501c3 proposals, I have been expecting your reply all morning!

Guilty, again...as charged. I’ll look them over and send my comments by noon your time.

That’s three hours!

It is, but I’m not at the hotel, and this phone screen isn’t ideally suited for marking up large documents.

Where are you?

Right now, at this very moment? Just a sec. Say, Charles — your name is Charles, right? What intersection are we approaching?

Very funny. She was not amused.

If you must know, Mrs. Riley, dear, I’m pursuing one of my guilty pleasures from the back seat of an Audi A7 Quattro.

I don’t recall any sightseeing or joyriding time allotted in your schedule today before taping the show.

I know. I know. But Chick-fil-A opened a huge new restaurant in Midtown a couple of months ago, and I need a Mulligan to charge the old batteries. It’ll be my pleasure to have the proposals right there in your hot little inbox before noon.

‘Your pleasure,’ indeed! Very well. Goodbye.

Mulligan, indeed!

Jordan’s first exposure to Chick-fil-A had been in Atlanta in the late ’80s. After a less-than-stellar workshop he’d conducted for a railroad-contractor convention, he limped into the closest fast-food joint, hoping to find consolation in anything edible and greasy on a bun. 

The title of the class he’d taught was Matching the Perfect Talent with the Perfect Task. This rough-and-tumble audience’s standard hiring policy was to hire for brute strength. They simply were not buying in to improving their businesses by aligning the perfect skill set with the right job. As a result, Jordan found himself doubting the match between this opportunity and his own skill set. After all, in addition to that afternoon’s workshop, he was keynoting the convention the next day. He was in desperate need of great reviews and testimonials if his consulting business was ever going to get off the ground.

Once at the counter, he was instantly overwhelmed by the good nature and genuine friendliness of the staff. Don’t these people realize that they are working a fast-food counter? was his first thought. 

It’s my pure pleasure to serve ya tonight, sir, beamed the cheerful lady behind the counter. What may we prepare for ya?

Excuse me?

How kin we serve you, tonight, sir? An’ if ya don’t mind my sayin’, looks like you could really use a Mulligan.

A what?

A Mulligan, sir. You know — a do-over to cheer ya up and put that little ole smile right back on yer face.

I know what a Mulligan is, Jordan countered. "It’s just...wow. This feels like I’ve stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone."

By the end of the conversation, not only did Jordan feel his burden lift, but he liked the strawberry shake she suggested so much that he ordered a second one to take back to the hotel.  Energized and armed with a fresh new outlook, he couldn’t wait to get back to the room to completely rewrite that speech.

The result of what he considered a sort of out of body experience was a passionately authentic speech that had most of the gruff-and-tough audience on their feet, cheering for more.  I didn’t invent the Mulligan, he told them in parting. I only perfected it!

Not one to believe in coincidence, Jordan made it a practice from that day forward to dine at Chick-fil-A whenever the opportunity presented itself. Especially when I need another Mulligan, he thought. And Mulligans became the foundation principle upon which he based all his workshops, lectures, and writings.

At the drive-in speaker, Jordan ordered his usual chicken strips with Polynesian Sauce and two strawberry milkshakes — Make that three. My driver Charlie could use one, too...

2

Letterman

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New York City, Wednesday, May 6, 2015

...and the number one reason, ladies and gentlemen, why you might not want to hold your annual sales convention in Salt Lake City? Green Jell-o! Hmm, must be a Mormon thing; I don’t know. Paul?

Wouldn’t ya think it’s the weird liquor laws or all those wives?

Nope, uh-unh. Green Jell-o it is.

Flashing that famous smile directly into the camera, Dave continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, our first guest tonight is rather unusual. Not because he comes to us from the Green Jell-o capital of the world is he unusual. No, siree! This fella wrote an international bestseller right outta’ the gates, ladies and gentlemen. And now he’s being hailed as another Og Mandino.

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a warm welcome to...Jordan O’Brien!

Jordan felt his airway constrict a little as he maneuvered the endless thirty-foot walk to his fifteen minutes of fame. The immediate intensity of the studio lights caused him to momentarily wish he had left the blue wool blazer in the dressing room.

Shaking hands under the hearty wave of applause, Dave leaned forward. Relax; this always scares the crap out of me, too.

Once the two were seated and the noise level subsided, the host leaned forward again, So, you’re a big-shot writer!

You mean...this isn’t ‘Stupid Human Tricks?’

Seriously, though, this is your first book, right?

Yes, it is.

What made you write it?

You know, I always wanted to be on your show, and it just seemed like an easier way than using my Garth Brooks impersonation.

That would have been suspect, for sure. You’re some kind of corporate trainer, right?

Exactly.

And so, you go around...what...training people, making them more productive?

Sort of. You see, Dave, I help people figure out what they’re good at — I mean, really good at. Management then re-evaluates their roles relative to their talents, and the job performance takes care of itself. People actually get to enjoy their work, productivity goes up, and everybody wins.

So, you bring in a crystal ball, and then what? Poof?

I wish it were that easy.

Now this all started as somebody’s theory of some sort?

Well, yes.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is where he plugs the book. C’mon, Jordan — plug your book!

"Okay, okay. The book is, quite frankly, the culmination of my life’s work. By 1997, I had spent fifteen years researching and teaching organizational effectiveness and individual performance improvement. And, I must admit, the industry was very much like competing religious revivals.

"Don’t get me wrong; there were and continue to be very talented and respected players:  Covey, Blanchard, Collins, Connors and Smith, my mentor, the late Dr. Clifton and his organization, and many, many others. The philosophies and teachings of superstars like Zig Ziglar, Jack Canfield, and Tony Robbins also had and continue to have a huge impact on individual performance.

The problem was that company presidents would bounce from one program to another, without giving them time to impact behavior. Managers weren’t sure if they should fire their customers or take them on a cruise!

I vote for the cruise, myself, chided the host.

You’re in good company, Dave.

So, you tried to sell them Plan A vs. somebody else’s Plan B?

Actually, my firm was licensed to represent most of the hottest programs. We would study company processes, strategies, and results, survey managers and employees, and then recommend a solution based on our findings, but —  

There’s always one of those around. Were they just too cheap to buy?

"Just the opposite. They would buy a case of books for a management retreat and have us there to teach the basic precepts. Then, three or six months later, they would order another program and have us talk up a different solution, long before any measurable results from the last program could be achieved.

So, one weekend I’m wracking my brain, trying to figure out how to convince this one client not to buy another program from me —

We should all have that problem, mused the host. Let’s see here, Mr. Client; what is it about ‘no’ that you don’t understand?

At the same time I’m watching Tiger Woods just run away from the field of best golfers on the planet in the Masters...when it hit me! What if Earl Woods had never put a golf club in young Tiger’s hands? We might never have witnessed the greatest golf of all time!

Don’t ya mean the greatest ‘golfer’?

"No. Let me explain. Tiger’s natural talent, combined with his work ethic and passion for excellence, actually changed the game itself. Everyone else had to pump iron and climb stairs or eat sand. Who was Vijay Singh before there was Tiger Woods? Don’t you see? Tiger raised the bar for the entire PGA. And the field got better. Now, while Tiger is still trying to reinvent himself, the youngsters who grew up idolizing him are bigger, stronger, and even more athletic. Their mental toughness was also developed from childhood. This is the era of young guns: Jordan Spieth, who just won the Masters, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, to name a few.

My premise is that everyone is better at something than almost anybody else. This book helps people discover what that talent is. My firm then helps companies learn how to harness the collective talents in a team environment to increase productivity.

"Now, the book’s title’s a little weird — The Mulligan Factor.  Before we break, can you quickly tell us why this title?"

"Sure. In a friendly golf match between duffers, one ‘Mulligan’ or do-over is often allowed. Hit a bad shot — do it over, without incurring a penalty. Nowadays we’re taught to fail fast and fail big. But let’s face it: deep down inside, people want to succeed, not fail.

When we get a free do-over in business or life, completely within the rules, we aren’t encumbered by the guilt of getting so far down what might be the wrong road. The Mulligan actually allows us to learn and profit from our mistake and move forward toward success without dwelling on the failure.

"So, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The book is called The Mulligan Factor. Buy it, and you just might learn that you’re the best darned flugelhorn repairman in the known universe!

Jordan O’Brien, ladies and gentlemen...

3

One Small Step for Man

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Though sleep came a little easier on the flight back to Salt Lake City, one of the vivid dreams played out like a movie, with distinct scenes, in his mind. Perhaps most haunting to him was the fact that the dream always felt so real...

Granger (unincorporated Salt Lake County) Utah, Monday, July 21, 1969

Jordan’s mom opened the front door to their small split-level home and stepped onto the front porch. Searching up and down the street, young Jordy was nowhere to be found. Probably off with friends bothering the construction workers, she said out loud while shaking her head.  Next came the patented whistle that never failed to bring him right home — except for the night he had been knocked unconscious from a line drive to the teeth.

From the newly dug out basement on a lot that