Action.

I had a little hiatus there.  Went away to the mountains for a couple of days to try and screw my head back on and although I didn’t attain enlightenment, there were a few moments of clarity while hiking in the woods.

The goal of The Dan Plan is clearer than ever.  It’s straight forward, easy for me to grasp and I still fully believe that it is attainable.  After 2,000 hours, I’m finally playing golf and actually hitting the ball pretty well.  I had a few days to clear my head I’ve realized that you have to see the positive side of things.  It’s important not to become clouded with an overly positive attitude (you can shoot yourself in the foot that way), but to be realistic about what you have to do while also acknowledging where you have come from and how much your hard work has helped.  A negative attitude in this business of self improvement is a death sentence.

When I left for the mountains last week I didn’t exactly have a negative attitude, but was getting overly frustrated on a daily basis and this is almost as bad.  Frustration is inevitable in life and can be a huge road block if not kept in check.  There’s usually a reason why you are getting frustrated and it’s important to understand where those emotions are coming from and how to fix them.  One way of doing this is to just keep an open mind and practice without expectations; truly allow yourself to take it one shot at a time.  The shot before and the next shot, whether on the practice range or on the course, don’t exist; only the one directly in front of you and once you hit that ball you have to learn to accept the results regardless of how you had pictured it.

For me, I need to practice acceptance as much as I practice mechanics.  Golf is a mental game and I’m starting to begin that side of the training.  As Bobby Jones said, “Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears.”  At first, golf is purely a mechanical and physical pursuit, but very quickly this becomes a mental challenge.  I know I still have miles to go on the mechanics side of the game, but am open to and excited about the mental journey that also began (whether I knew is or not) last April.

PS.  Check back in tomorrow, Tuesday, for the first Dan Plan webisode!

PPS.  It’s amazing how much things can change:  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/10/tiger-woods-has-hot-dog-thrown-at-him-by-spectator.html?track=icymi