In early April I knew I was going to be completely absorbed in the opening of our new business venture and that stress levels could become elevated from time to time; I needed a way to deflate that stress. I tried yoga and I liked it but I wanted an outdoor sporting activity where I could also make some new friends. I envisioned my late business partner and mentor sitting me down and whispering in my ear, “Ike, you are starting a new business and you need to get out there and do something fun! Make new friends, challenge yourself, try something brand new – why not play some golf?” S.D.B. always knew how to press those buttons!
I thought about trying it out more than once. I always said, “Who has the time for golf?” I’m now into my fourth month of learning to play and the other day Richie Packish, the PGA golf pro at Spanish Wells Country Club took hold of my arm and said, “Ike, your balance is not so hot and you really need to work on your posture! Let’s take a few weeks off from lessons and you hit the gym and do those exercises I gave you! Balance and rhythm is everything in developing a good golf swing!” “You need good posture too.” Richie said as he walked away bouncing the golf ball on the face of the head of the club.
So, how did I get out of balance, have crummy posture and no rhythm? I thought about this the other day and it seems while I was expanding my horizons on sabbatical, I kind of let myself go - physically. Gained a few pounds, stopped working out and worst of all - stopped taking long walks around the neighborhood or the beach. I needed to change my habits and make time for what I needed as much as for what I wanted. How could I change things around so that I wanted what I needed!
I had participated in a special training a few years back that addressed this very thing. I took out my notes from the training sessions and I immediately knew which technique I had to employ to change old habits to new habits. I had to visualize myself as a thinner, light-on-his feet golfer; who swung the club with grace, rhythm and aplomb. These techniques are explained in sports books like “The Inner Game of Tennis – The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance” by Timothy Galleway. http://tinyurl.com/22sgdj2
Often, I am looking in my schedule to find time for not only practicing or playing golf, but also getting to the gym and going for walks on the beach! If we tie changing habits to accomplishing something we need, we will be more inclined to do it! When we tie changing habits to something we enjoy it’s easier to make the changes.
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