Many people in this world wish things were different for them. They pity themselves for all that they are not; for all that they do not have; for all that others have and they do not have. This self-pity stifles their lives, breeds resentment and anger which obstructs rather than constructs. We cannot wish for something and hope it falls into our lap. We cannot wish to be better without working sensibly for that ‘better’. We cannot wish for a professional career without investing in that career - investing heavily; even when there is no guarantee of success. When I ask athletes what do you NOT want to happen in your career, they list all of those things which could happen but because they know they are a possibility, they paddle away from those experiences. With multiple crash points (i.e., things I do not want to happen) they narrow their path toward success. They breed fear, worry and avoidance. They avoid the things they need to do because they recognise the ‘crash point’. Until we deal with these ‘crash points’ we will have no freedom to express ourselves in our sport. In golf, lots of golfers say their greatest fear is that they will not make it. This fear of ‘not making it’ disables them in the present because not only is this a real fear but it attaches itself to their everyday activities. The fear of ‘not making it’ persuades them, often unknowingly, to withdraw effort, to try less hard, to do what is comfortable. Having the fear of ‘not making it’ can be dealt with in reality. When the golfer accepts that ‘not making it’ is a possibility then she can work towards reducing that possibility in every way each day. A cold, hard look at oneself shows what needs to be dealt with now to move forward progressively.
