What lies before us and what lies behind us are small
matters compared with what lies within us. When we bring what is within us out
into the world, miracles happen.
Henry David Thoreau
I’ve had a lot of
encouraging people cheering me on with the start of my new golf business. My
realtor Charlie Beard with Remax of Greensboro gave me a book given to him by
Author Dr. Tony “The Tiger” Piparo. The tittle is called Kingdom of the Tiger A Golfers Guide to Playing in The Zone. Get a copy on Amazon! Here is my review:
It’s a fascinating and detailed read on the human brain and
how to train your mind to focus on the golf swing in front of you, like a Tiger
focuses on his prey.
Piparo
quotes the thoughts of a frustrated golfer “…How can I play well one day and
fall apart the next?” “How can I start out playing well only to ‘lose it’ in
the middle of the round?” …“How can I play really well for most of the round,
but have some 7s and 8s thrown in for good measure?” page 260. Piparo believes if
this is how you feel your mind is not quiet.
Your mind is too cluttered with things that are only
illusions. Illusions are past or future thoughts. Only the present task at hand
is in fact your truth, your fact, and your real life at that moment. Piparo
believes when you can train your mind to focus on what is real in front of you,
then and only then are you truly focused with a quiet mind.
Take
the shot you just hit, it is now in the past. Good or bad it is over. Leave it
and move on. Letting go quickly means quickly quieting your mind.
Maybe
you are the golfer who thinks about Putting when you are on the Tee Box? Don’t!
You can think about Putting when you get there. Nothing is more important than
that shot in front of you. It is real. The other is a daydream, a future hope
or illusion.
Page 13, “…once we see and accept life for the illusion it
is, we begin to exist outside…” our ego. Your ego cannot hit a straight ball for you. Your ego can only clutter your mind.
We cannot truly ever be free of stress but we can control
it. Chose to think of your present shot. Shut out the sounds all around you. Shut out the illusions. Still feeling
stressed?
Do Piparo’s “
Attitude Adjustment Routine” he writes in several chapters:
-Close your eyes.
-
Take a deep breath. (Like a yoga or a singer’s breath – I say this)
-Smile.
-Relax your body.
-Bring your attention to the task at hand.
-Execute.
-Be patient!
Once you as a golfer and even a human can quiet your mind,
the focus you can give to your present moment will leave you knowing you did
your best with the situations at hand in your real world called the present. –Happy Golfing!
