Castles in the Sky

Our dreams
for the future.

As the Cheshire Cat once said to Alice "if you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there"
ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Dare we whisper it?

Growing up, we all had "Castles in the Sky," our dreams were the gateway to our future selves. They included being an astronaut, an adventure hero, a sports star and even, dare we whisper it, a professional golfer. Your environmental circumstances most likely led you to taste the sweet nectar that is hitting the perfect shot and from then on you were hooked like a addict needing their next fix. Golf had infiltrated your psyche, and the coding had begun for becoming the perfect golfer!

"Look, talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it to have people listen to it, that's a whole other bag. Unless you get out there and try to do it, you'll never know. That's just the truth." 
Jackson Maine from the movie "A Star is Born,"  
Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga.

Reality...

This leads us to the question of reality. In a previous blog I spoke about how the 42-year-old rookie, Chris Thompson is out on the PGA Tour grinding away, a beacon to those who dream of making it to the big show.  Your dream isn't unrealistic if you have a clear vision of what it takes to make it to Tour, what you need to change to achieve that dream. And of course, it is easier said than done as 99% of the population who have settled for a less than extraordinary life will attest to. This speaks directly to the level of realism required, a certain level is essential but too much can cause self-doubt. Aside from the obvious requirement of being able to shoot the lights out under pressure, the fitness requirements to make it to Tour have grown exponentially, as Brandel Chamblee's tweet last November shows, players have become taller and lighter and hit the ball much further than years gone by.

If you don't have a clear goal of where you are going and how you are going to get there, you will struggle, mostly due to the fact that you are not sure where 'there' is. The question should be "how is this achievable?"

A cacophony of voices telling you your desires are unrealistic.

"Whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer" 
Epictetus, (some dude born 2000 years ago!)

This quote encapsulates what it means to thread the path to most any professional sport. Every day is your 'Olympic Games,' but in saying that you only ever work hard when you don't enjoy the job at hand. It comes down to a matter of perspective if you don't love the process of getting better, if you don't indulge your heart and soul into becoming the golfer you want to be, then you have a problem. Practice becomes tedious; time slows to a crawl. When you love what you do, there are not enough hours in the day to practice and become better. Sunlight is the only barrier to your time on a golf course. I read the following passage lately, (apologies to the author, I can't remember where!) 
"Your desire represents your mind, and your understanding represents your wisdom. There is a conflict in your life when your desire is something, but you don’t really have the understanding of that desire in depth. When you have a full-fledged understanding of your desire, then nothing can stop you."

Atomic habits and the Ritual!

The writer James Clear in his book "Atomic Habits" talks a lot about incremental change, citing the case of the British cycling team making a 1% improvement in a number of areas which completely transformed their future performances. It sounds like no big deal, but as in the theory of compounding, it accumulates over time and adds up to improvement in a big way. He emphasizes thinking small with big habits. This can have a remarkable effect on your progress as a golfer whether it be chasing the professional ranks or just a weekend warrior. 
Professional dancer, Twyla Tharp in her book "The Creative Habit," talks about the importance of ritual. Showing up each morning to her dance study to choreograph her next show, she explains how the workouts are exhausting but she just needs to make the cab ride each morning, her ritual takes over from there. She talks about the writer sitting in front of a typewriter with a blank page in front of them, of her experience standing in an empty dance study before the troupe arrives, how she must fill this empty space in front of her with a dance routine that doesn't yet exist. It is the exact same for the young golfer starting out with their dreams of moving up the ranks to a life on tour, a blank canvas to paint on and all the time in the world to stare at it. 

"Its my job, its my calling, filling this empty space is my identity."

Twyla Tharp, 
The Creative Habit.

Master of your own destiny.

Knowing where you are going, having Google maps and the true understanding of your desire is paramount to any chance of success. Never forget why you are doing what you are doing. To put it all in perspective, it's a numbers game, only 25 and ties will receive tour cards at the European Tour school next November from a field of 156 players. If you have come from stage one and two to get there, you will be one of only 43 players who entered from hundreds to make it to Spain. It's the lotto and you don't have a ticket unless you dream big but temper it with reality. (1) Frame your dream, visualize where you are going. (2) Eliminate negativity, especially in who you interact with. (3) Add positivity, (with a healthy dose of self-doubt.) (4) Fast forward. (5) Action, do it now. Focus on action, an action is the antidote to fear.

In her Oscars acceptance speech the aforementioned Lady Gaga had some inspirational words for all the struggling artists out there that identify with her: “If you are at home, and you’re sitting on your couch and you’re watching this right now, all I have to say is that this is hard work. I’ve worked hard for a long time, and it’s not about, you know…it’s not about winning. But what it’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion. And it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.”
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​​Finally, don't be that person with the look of regret in their eyes. You are the master of your own destiny; the world is full of people who make excuses, I coulda, woulda, shoulda brigade, do whatever it takes to achieve your dreams, it will require, work, vision, and hope, all are available in abundance and the best part? They are all free!