“When you feel as though you can't do something, the simple antidote is action: Begin doing it. Start the process, even if it's just a simple step, and don't stop at the beginning.” – Marcus Buckingham
I haven’t golfed in years. Each year, I vow that this will be the year and another summer passes and it turns out that it’s not the year. When I drove by the golf course today, the driving range was open. So rather than promise myself that I am going to golf 20 times this year, I put my clubs in the trunk and drove over to the range to hit a small bucket of balls. And rather than testing out every club, I used my driver the entire time to focus on practicing my drive.
Without rushing, I slowly set the ball on the tee, paused as I focused on the edge of the ball and the head of the driver. I visualized drawing the club back and following through as my body turned to the range at the end, right heal up to pivot.
And after visualizing it, I stopped thinking about it and let the swing happen as the club moved on its own. No more thinking, just letting the momentum do its job. When we detach from the outcome, the work does the work. When I followed that plan, the club connected in the sweet spot and the ball flew consistently 185 yards out.
When I rushed, shifted to overthinking or tried to “power” through with a faster swing, I shanked it, half the distance. The two guys next to me talked the entire time. When I tuned them out, I was alone with the ball in rapt attention and focus. Swing, connect. When I let them distract me, the ball shanked, again.
This certainly may be the year that I return to golf. After 20 minutes hitting a bucket of balls, I remembered that I enjoy the game. But before over complicating and carving out 4 hours of time, booking a tee time and getting a crew organized to go golfing, a bucket of balls is a simple and doable start. And with practice comes improvement, confidence and progress.
As you ponder starting new things – activities, hobbies, a dream – try both new things and returning to things that you’ve done before. Break it down into simple steps and don’t over complicate it. Take it nice and easy to find flow and ease.
So here are three lessons that I relearned by simply hitting a small bucket of golf balls:
Don’t put rules around it – simple acts strung together create momentum;
Visualize the outcome and act accordingly;
Don’t get distracted by others, focus on the ball;
And a bonus - Play with joy!