The psychology of it all

Results can frustrate or elate, depending on which way they go.  One thing I have learned over the past near-year of training is that it is important to keep a level head regardless of what the stats or scorecard says at the end of the day.  If you get overexcited about shooting a low score or sinking a sleeve of 30 foot putts, you are in a way setting yourself up for disappointment if that does not happen the next time.  Likewise, if you get bogged down by a few errant shots, your mind tends to close and you can count the rest of the day out.   I’m not saying you shouldn’t get excited, by any means, rather to save the celebration for after the round, or once you’ve accomplished what you set out to do in it’s entirety.

For a longevity project like this one, any day (or week, or month) can fluctuate in one direction or the other and the only way to stay sane is to keep the focus on your goals and give yourself a little break if everything isn’t quite falling into the cup.

11 months ago, if I didn’t see an improvement from the previous days outing I would beat myself up for “getting worse.”  Now, I see how life comes in cycles and sometimes you are destined to move back a step before moving in the direction you are aimed.  Just keep the eyes looking ahead, Dan.

I think the most important tidbit to remember is that a positive attitude can take you very far in this life, especially if you add in some elbow grease and keep the mind open to opportunities.

On a side note, Dr. K Anders Ericsson just sent me this photo from Tallahassee.  It’s a shot of me during a presentation I did about The Dan Plan for their SPEAR sports performance seminar in February:

I have some video of the presentation and will post that soon.