The Dreaded-Beautiful Plateau!

Feeling that I had reached one, I was looking for an article about reaching a psychological plateau. A Google search gave up lots of articles and I couldn’t believe how many different areas of human endeavor one can reach a psychological plateau. I was specifically interested in plateaus reached while learning to play golf and starting a new business. I found out that in almost everything we try to do we will eventually have a drop in enthusiasm or effort and the desired results seem unattainable, at least in the short-term. This was one definition I found for what has become for me - “the dreaded plateau.” There were articles describing plateau syndromes concerning dieting, learning languages, sports, sexuality, job satisfaction, I could name at least a half-a-dozen more.

A few months ago I started out very enthusiastic about chronicling my exploits of learning how to play golf for the first time and starting a new business from scratch. It has been a lot of fun and I loved the wonderful feedback I have gotten. Yet just two months in, the novelty has begun to wear off and I know I need something fresh, some new motivation.

So I hit the books, er, well Google to learn more about this phenomenon. While doing my research I discovered that this plateau syndrome is so common we might as well just consider it part of the process in gaining any type of success. Let’s first take golf for example… for those of you who actually manage to get a lot of practice in (no jealousy here), you'll find your skill level hitting a plateau. Follow-up lessons will allow your golf instructor to teach you additional skills, for example how to hit a fade or draw, and how to control the spin of your ball. All of these will give you better accuracy in your swing; thereby giving you more reason to be enthused about your next time on the links.

How about if you are trying to drop a few pounds like me: You're exercising, eating well, and steadily losing pounds. Then all of a sudden... BAM!. You reach the “dreaded” plateau. The scale seems stuck, week after week. Don't think you're the only person this happens to (although most people DO believe this only happens to them) - nearly everyone trying to lose weight experiences a phase when the scale won't budge and there's still 5, 10, 15 pounds to go. So, when this happens, you've got a choice to make. You can either call your diet a success (or a failure), or you keep plugging away; which means you’ll have to add something new to your game…a diet fade or curve as it were.

Having worked with hundreds of clients over the years who were starting new business ventures, I know the process is one of peaks and valleys and plateaus! I know that eventually a plateau is reached - where one can be so far from any mountains or valleys where it feels like you’re just treading water – working hard, staying afloat but remaining stationary.

But have you ever taken-in the beauty and majesty of a plateau in nature? It does not possess the low-lying dangers of a valley or the treachery of a rushing river. Nor is it the jagged peak of a mountain. A plateau is a wide mainly level area of elevated land; a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side.And though by definition, a plateau is a period or state of little or no growth or decline; also as a verb it means to remain at a stable level for a relatively long period. Hmmm, so if I were going to be stuck somewhere would I rather be down in the valley with all of the dangers and pitfalls that accompany it; or would I rather be safely perched up high on a level plateau where I can see uninterrupted for miles around and assess my situation and plan my next move?

So as I sit here, looking out across the horizon…I can appreciate that I have reached this inevitable dreaded and beautiful plateau. But from this elevated, safe position, I can determine my next course of action. I can contemplate and ruminate on what has impeded my enthusiasm and excitement. I can work on adding a fade or curve to my game! I will sit down with a trusted adviser, trainer or coach and look at things from various perspectives.

In my Golf game – perhaps I will take a lesson to work one thing for the next few weeks instead of trying to learn so much all at once. Dieting – I can put some air in my tires on my bike and ride at least once a week to increase my exercise. I will talk to my weight reduction counselor for her objective opinion. Finally, for the Business I will meet with my marketing adviser and my business partner and say, “Hey guys – I am totally open to some new ideas and approaches” maybe they won’t faint!

In the meantime, I will enjoy this majestic view and perhaps get in some meditation while I’m up here!

If you would like to read more on the Plateau phenomenon in golf or dieting and fitness, check out the suggested links below:

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/15Plateau_tips.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Golf-Lessons---A-FAQ-For-Beginners-Learning-Golf-For-the-First-Time&id=1703612

The Wacky World of Golf!

Lots of funny and weird things happened while I was learning to play golf. Unfortunately no cameras were present. So in a tribute to new golfers everywhere he is a look at the wacky world of golf!

"Swing and Take Your Cuts" as an Economic Strategy!

Sunday morning I left the house early to meet a high school friend I hadn’t seen in over 30 years. He was down in SWFL with his wife visiting their children and grandchildren, enjoying the Bonita Springs area. I have never been to a high school reunion so we reconnected through Facebook.

While we were sharing our lives we both realized the community we grew up in was unique. It was a small town with a very diverse population, located only 25 miles from New York City. Everyone enjoyed sharing their different cultures, knew each other’s families and played sports together from little league through high school. In fact, my high school graduating class was only 60 kids and most of us had been together since grade school.

Sitting across the table from him, the more we shared the more I realized how much fun I had growing up and how those boyhood experiences have helped define who I am as a man. Certainly I have changed, but there were core values that were instilled in me by coaches and community. I always remembered baseball coach Jim Durling, putting his arm around me before an important at-bat and saying, “ Ike, you have three swings to change the course of this game – I don’t care if you strike out – but please take your cuts!”

Standing at home plate with a fireball pitcher throwing 90 mph fastballs under my chin to push me back from the plate, is not something I could do without confidence and courage. Taking my cuts meant digging my feet into the batter’s box and staring down the pitcher. Maybe just maybe my confidence and determination will make the pitcher just a bit tentative, and then I would increase my chances of making solid contact with the ball and getting a hit. Of course, I could try and wait out a walk, but as a life lesson, waiting for someone else to make mistakes is not what champions are made of! I learned that starting a business from scratch requires taking my cuts at every opportunity and every time I am up to bat! Coach Durling’s advice was good then and it’s good now!

On the way home I stopped to fill the gas tank. Someone yelled – “Hey you, how’s the economy?” I looked around and there wasn’t anyone else getting gas so I pointed to my chest – “Yeah you in the black shirt, How’s the economy?” I had never seen this man before. Did he know I was a financial consultant? He had a white beard and rosy cheeks. He looked like Santa Clause in shorts!

I yelled back, “I’m doing ok!” He answered “I’m doing a personal survey. Every Sunday I drive from Marco Island to San Carlos Park and I make note of all the stores that are newly closed; and then I ask 100 people ‘How’s the economy’ and 99 out of a 100 either have no answer or say it’s not so hot.” He started walking to his pick-up truck when he turned around and said, “I never believe what they say on TV, so I always check things out for myself and my research says the economy stinks!”

My high school buddy and his wife were vacationing with his children, their spouses and four grandchildren. They all came to Bonita Springs from Tampa and North Carolina to enjoy the Waterpark, shopping at Coconut Point, and the restaurants. They liked the small town feel, the beautiful beaches with the city amenities of the Naples-Bonita Springs area.

In a matter of a few hours I had seen two diverse perspectives of our local economy. On one hand, three families enjoying a wonderful vacation and family reunion and on the other hand, a stranger barking at me in a gas station how the economy “stinks.”

During my thirty years as a financial adviser I have seen many recessions come and go. It is clear to me that whether the economy is good or “stinks’ depends on our personal perspective. How we fare in a down economy depends on whether we have the courage and determination to swing and take our cuts! Standing with the bat on our shoulder waiting for a walk may help us get to first base, but taking a full cut with an eye on the fences is more fun and more rewarding!

Golf in Retrograde

Can we be making progress when what we are doing seems like it’s taking us backwards. Yesterday, I played the most bizarre round of golf yet. I warmed up ok but when I hit the first hole the bottom fell out. My usually consistent tee shot was out of control time after time. I tried four times and in the end I was left with the choice of picking - the best of the worst! Not a place I want to be, ever!

Riding back to the clubhouse after the round I mused “my golf game is in retrograde.” I have a few friends that are into astrology and from time to time they talk about, “Mercury (the planet) being retrograde. This is usually when all the communication stuff like emails, phone calls and even contracts are getting all screwed up.

The idea of being retrograde is when a planet appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac when it really isn’t. It's a bit like travelling on the road watching another car beside you: when the other car slows down, or you speed up, it looks as though the other car is moving backwards. Planets are never actually retrograde or stationary, they just seem that way due to this cosmic shadow.”

Well, this cosmic shadow is being cast on my golf game – I know I am much better than when I started, my score went from 64 to 54 for nine holes and I actually made par on two holes. I know I am better but it feels like I am going backward.

How can this be?

When we throw out our old habits and belief systems we can develop a sense of not being grounded. We try to extend our arms out to touch the walls but the old walls have been moved. Our old way of doing things had become a basis for defining our comfort zone. Getting out there or doing things in a new way requires us to travel upon unchartered waters.

I have learned to rely upon my partners, advisors or coaches to help me feel grounded. I look for support to someone whose steady hand can be relied upon.
Putting my clubs away in the garage I was thinking about discouragement and how that way of thinking often precedes making real progress. I walked up the stairs from the garage, my wife asked “How was golf?” The word horrible slipped out. Talking to her made me realize my expectations were way too high for playing for only a few months

So, back to fundamentals for me in golf, I must have changed something on my swing and a few sessions at the practice range and a lesson or two will correct it! When I shift focus from what I couldn’t do to what I did do it made all the difference!