Failure? How Fascinating!!!

You just sent another relatively simple chip shot screaming over the green...how do you feel about it? Typical responses include "pissed" "frustrated" "disappointed" "mad" "angry" etc...

Why do you feel that way? "BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT!!!"
Got it.
But here is the question I would like for you to consider. Suppose that the reason you are mad isn't because you hit the ball over the green but rather you are afraid of doing it again. I mean if you knew you were going to make the next shot would you stay mad for long? Would you even get mad at all? It's absolutely a possibility that you could play wonderfully from here on out right? I am not talking about odds here, just is it possible? 

Now, if you are afraid of doing it again why is that? Because you haven't experienced how you are being and what you are doing to create that shot in the first place. So rather than looking at that poor result as an embarrassing failure and a blow to your ego, could you recreate that experience as fascinating? Can you use your curiosity to get to the bottom of it rather than your past conditioning controlling your emotions and behavior? This will help you learn how you are being and what is happening with your body and the club when you send the ball flying over the green,  dump it into the bunker or do exactly what you intended.

Experience, presence, and awareness is what will advance you beyond what is now unknown to you. You don't need to "remember to keep your head down" because then you are just experiencing a voice in your head trying to tell your body what to do...can you just create an intention, become present to your senses while you are swinging, and actually experience what is happening in the moment that it occurs?

When you see great players playing great, they still hit "poor" shots from time to time, but they don't carry them around with them for long. They don't think they are going to do it again the same way you don't think you will trip again when you briefly lose your balance after catching the toe of your shoe on a rock while walking. You experienced the whole thing and you move on. If you are afraid of doing it again it's simply because you are unaware of critical distinctions during the action. Become aware of them and you can't help but improve.  How do you develop awareness? Create an environment for yourself where failure is fascinating! Practice this and see what happens... 

Play Golf with Freedom,

Brandon Richardson

http://www.golfwithfreedom.net/

"Discover what's possible"

New Year, New Possibilities

Happy New Year everyone!  It's that time of year where we all have grand ideas about bettering ourselves but unfortunately in a few months generally it's back to more like the way it was---the past seeming to jump into the future and repeat itself over and over again. What will make this year any different?

Tim Gallwey wrote in his book The Inner Game of Golf "without desire, there is no goal, & no action."
So in order to keep the past from repeating itself, in order to honor those commitments you made to start this new year, the vision you have for the future has to be empowering/interesting enough to generate the energy and desire required to honor those commitments.

Let's say you want to lower your handicap from a 15 to a 9.  What would you have to learn to remove 6 shots from your score? Where would you have to put your attention while you are practicing? How much time would need to be created so that you can develop your awareness enough to make such an improvement? And how could you practice so that the awareness that was developed is something that stays with you forever?

Or what if you want to play with more joy, creativity and freedom. First you will have to identify what is interfering with it.  What is stopping you from having fun? Being creative? Playing with freedom? 
Now you have a direction, a path you can begin to travel and one that is so interesting you can't help but explore what's possible.

Or let's say you have never played the game in your life and have been curious but hesitant to try it. What's holding you back? What vision of the future (generally a past based experience or belief like "I am no good at sports," or "I will be terrible and everyone will laugh at me.")is keeping you from discovering what's possible? Is it possible to create a different vision of the future? One that fuels your present actions(the difference between making an important phone call or never dialing the number)and gets you what you really want?

Hope that gives you something to check out and again, Happy New Year and may your resolutions be inspiring enough that you wake up so excited you can't wait to get going!

~Brandon
Golf with Freedom Lesson Center
www.GolfwithFreedom.Net

How to Practice

If you don't like to practice this is a strong indicator that you don't know how to practice.
How should you practice? Let me answer that question with another question.
What do you want to learn? What would be so amazing to discover and develop that you couldn't wait to get to get started?

Tim Gallwey said in his book Inner Game of Golf (see link below), "Without desire there is no goal, no action."
So what do you really want? Learn to hit it straight? Curve the ball?  Solid contact? Increase concentration? Swing and play without fear? Whatever it is that is where you start.

Next where would your attention best serve your learning? In other words what will you be paying attention to while you are swinging? If you can be present to that one thing you are interested in for a couple of seconds it will be remarkable what you discover. If your not able to stay present at first that's okay and is actually great to notice too. You can't put your attention where you want it if you don't know where it is.

Practice isn't something you should "have to do." Practice so that learning is your desire and you will enjoy your time spent practicing. 

If you need coaching in this or anything else that is of interest to you, visit: http://www.golfwithfreedom.net/ to learn more and schedule an appointment online.

Happy Holidays!

Brandon Richardson
Golf with Freedom Lesson Center
"Discover what's possible"

Are you stuck?

If you are a golfer or you know a golfer who seems to be stuck  playing the same kind of game day after day, then it might be time to receive some specialized coaching where discovering what's possible and increasing ones enjoyment, and capacity to learn and perform is the norm. 
Visit http://www.golfwithwithfreedom.net/ and begin to discover what's possible for yourself.

"Discover what's possible"

Golf with Freedom-Discovering what's possible

Greetings fellow Golfers!

I would like to start with a  question.
Why do you play golf?
This is an important question to answer honestly because otherwise chasing a ball around a wonderfully manicured field with a bag full of fancy sticks ends up being just that. Isn't there more to be gained from playing this game?

Why you play golf is also a question that shouldn't be answered for you by the ordinary golfing culture that revolves around the survival and preservation of ego, and the domination of others.

Consider this.What if while just hitting a bucket of balls you increase your ability to concentrate? Or the capacity to commit, create, and learn how you learn? Wouldn't that be more worth your time and even contribute to the quality of your life well after you leave the golf course?

So why do you play golf? really?

The answers you come up with will be empowering  and if they're not, keep digging, or as one of my competitors from my junior golfing days once said, "It might be time to take up checkers."