Charlie Mechem sits down with Dottie Pepper, women’s golfer on the LPGA Tour, winner of two major championships, and 17 tour events. She played for the United States in the Solheim Cup. After an injury that took her off the course, she now works in golf broadcasting with CBS. Dottie shares her insights on anecdotes from Charlie’s book, “Total Anecdotal: A Fun Guide to Help You Become a Better Speaker and Writer,” which can be found available through Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and our publisher.
Courage and Risk Taking
Dottie Pepper tries to do something that scares her every single day, and take courageous risks, in order to pursue something new and exciting. Whether it be as simple as planting a flower in the garden that may or may not thrive, or cutting off a fellow announcer on live television! Regardless of the risk, Dottie always trusts herself to make the right call and that her courageous risk will pay off in the end.
Give Your All, and Then Some
Even when you think your tank is on empty, there’s still a little bit left to give. Since there are so many people in the world, in order to stand out and be great, you’ve got to give more than you think you can give in the moment. Dottie believes that if she does not go above and beyond then she might end up letting many people down, especially herself. If she does things to the absolute best of her ability, and then some, there is no way she can look back with regret on the situation.
Imagine What You Want Into Existence
Trinity Forest in Dallas brings the UK Golf course feeling to Dallas, Texas. Dottie explains that the course is very abstract and requires even the most cookie-cutter of players to have an open mind and imagination. Dottie notes that visualization has always helped her, when she imagines the ball in flight it is much more likely to get to where she wants it to go.
Shoot for the Sun, Maybe You’ll Hit a Star
Dottie is aiming higher, she doesn’t want to be an announcer forever. Deep passion, and her impressive credentials of course, are exactly what will help her accomplish her dreams. She has the vision, she has the work ethic, she just needs the chance to make it happen.
Play Outside the Lines and Off the Path
Dottie knows that she needs to go off the path sometimes and work outside the box. When Dottie moved on to work with CBS, she realized quickly that it was a bit different from when she worked with Golf Channel, ESPN and NBC. Dottie explains that her flexibility and confidence are what drove her toward success at CBS; she was confident in her abilities, but was also able to take in change and grow in her new experience.
Laugh at Yourself
It is important to laugh at yourself and not worry too much about messing up. Dottie notes that the easiest person to laugh at is yourself, because you are closest to yourself. If you take a courageous risk and you mess up, laugh it off. A laugh can mine a moment of positivity out of a possible quarry of negativity.
Polish Your Golf Shoes
Dottie recalls when she was young how her father would always warn her that she was responsible for polishing her golf shoes—no one but her, not her father, nor her mother. While in the moment it seemed like a simple chore, this experience taught Dottie a life long lesson that she should always take responsibility, and present herself professionally, if she wanted to be taken seriously. After all, who is going to take someone who can’t even take care of their own shoes seriously?
Find People Who Make You Better
Dottie surrounds herself with those who support and challenge her, and make her the best she can be. When you have these people around you, you worry that you will disappoint them, thus making you work even harder and give that extra mile that you didn’t think you had in you. Having such supportive and constructive people in her life helps her keep on driving forward, even when her tank is far past empty.
If you’d like to listen to more episodes of “15 Minutes With Charlie,” please visit charliemechem.com or search for “15 Minutes With Charlie” in your podcasting app. If you are enjoying the show you should check out “Total Anecdotal: A Fun Guide to Help You Become a Better Speaker and Writer.” Learn more at charliemechem.com/book, or find it available through Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and our publisher.