Top 5 Ways The Olympics Have Helped My Golf Game
Like so many people, I have enjoyed watching the Olympic Games for the past 17 days. I have enjoyed viewing them for many reasons, with a primary one being that it helps my golf game. Even though golf is not part of the Olympics at this time, there are still a lot of beneficial things to be learned from a mental and athletic standpoint that can be applied to golf. The ideas and inspiration from athletes in a variety of sports can successfully be applied to golf, and many other aspects of life for that matter. Here are the top five ideas that stood out for me in the past couple of weeks and served as valuable reminders and motivators for my mental golf mindset and golf improvement activities:
1. Look forward, not backward. Let go of misses and mistakes and look forward to positive possibilities and outcomes. Don't dwell on what went wrong because that will hold you back. The past is the past, period.
2. Take responsibility - don't blame. It comes down to you on the course, the court, the track, the pool, or wherever. Blaming mistakes or poor performance on other people or conditions (i.e. heat) does not help anything, because while you are blaming and complaining other competitors are not - they are focusing on things that help their performance instead, and it shows.
3. Don't get affected by limiting ideas about "age." Don't buy into common ideas and beliefs that you can't do certain things once you reach a "certain age." There were several shining examples of athletes past what is traditionally considered "prime competitive age" who blew people out of the water (no pun intended) with their attitudes and performances. These athletes weren't "superhuman," but they each had a super attitude that did not focus on what are "supposed" to be the "limitations" of age (i.e. You're old and stiff and "over-the-hill" past 40.) They really get the idea that "You're as old as you think."
4. Believe that you can do it. Time and again, the athletes who surprised with their performances, did the seemingly "impossible," or just stuck with it and went on to win expressed this can-do attitude in follow-up interviews. They showed us the supreme value of believing in yourself and knowing that, yes, you can do what you put your mind to when you absolutely believe in yourself. This applies just as much to achieving a goal in golf as it does to achieving an Olympics medal.
5. Always strive to improve. Here again, those shining stars on the court, the track, and in the pool make frequent reference to their continual efforts to improve, whether it be their form, their time, or their strength. Their years of preparation, out of the public eye of the Olympics, are filled with days and days of dedication to improvement. And they fully embrace the idea of improvement - watching videos, seeking feedback, building their bodies and their minds. They strive for practice that is positive and productive, not merely repetition. And yes, this approach is just as beneficial for golf improvement for the recreational golfer as it is for the Olympic athlete! Take the open, receptive, and persistent approach to improvement and stick with it!
These are the "Olympic ideas" that have re-charged me and my game. I would like to learn about the ideas that helped others. Feel free to add a comment to the blog...
Here's to great golf!
Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com
1. Look forward, not backward. Let go of misses and mistakes and look forward to positive possibilities and outcomes. Don't dwell on what went wrong because that will hold you back. The past is the past, period.
2. Take responsibility - don't blame. It comes down to you on the course, the court, the track, the pool, or wherever. Blaming mistakes or poor performance on other people or conditions (i.e. heat) does not help anything, because while you are blaming and complaining other competitors are not - they are focusing on things that help their performance instead, and it shows.
3. Don't get affected by limiting ideas about "age." Don't buy into common ideas and beliefs that you can't do certain things once you reach a "certain age." There were several shining examples of athletes past what is traditionally considered "prime competitive age" who blew people out of the water (no pun intended) with their attitudes and performances. These athletes weren't "superhuman," but they each had a super attitude that did not focus on what are "supposed" to be the "limitations" of age (i.e. You're old and stiff and "over-the-hill" past 40.) They really get the idea that "You're as old as you think."
4. Believe that you can do it. Time and again, the athletes who surprised with their performances, did the seemingly "impossible," or just stuck with it and went on to win expressed this can-do attitude in follow-up interviews. They showed us the supreme value of believing in yourself and knowing that, yes, you can do what you put your mind to when you absolutely believe in yourself. This applies just as much to achieving a goal in golf as it does to achieving an Olympics medal.
5. Always strive to improve. Here again, those shining stars on the court, the track, and in the pool make frequent reference to their continual efforts to improve, whether it be their form, their time, or their strength. Their years of preparation, out of the public eye of the Olympics, are filled with days and days of dedication to improvement. And they fully embrace the idea of improvement - watching videos, seeking feedback, building their bodies and their minds. They strive for practice that is positive and productive, not merely repetition. And yes, this approach is just as beneficial for golf improvement for the recreational golfer as it is for the Olympic athlete! Take the open, receptive, and persistent approach to improvement and stick with it!
These are the "Olympic ideas" that have re-charged me and my game. I would like to learn about the ideas that helped others. Feel free to add a comment to the blog...
Here's to great golf!
Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com
Labels: golf improvement, mental golf, positive attitide, positive mental habits
posted by Rick Semple at 8:09 AM
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