It was Brian’s birthday and couple of us decided to go over to Bintan with our families for the weekend. It was a great party till it started to go wrong. Let’s just say Mr. Jack Daniel's and Mr. Carlsberg should never be invited to the same party. I woke up next morning for my game of Golf with a terrible hangover. It was going to be a very hot and humid day. My head was spinning. I had to focus; I had to keep myself hydrated and, I could get through this… Man, what was I thinking?
There is no shortage of bad news anywhere today. The unending chatters in the newspapers, on television and even at the office water coolers about the economy is getting annoying. As if that were not enough, the recent out break of the swine flu have the doomsayers painting the Great Depression coupled with the London plague kind of a picture. The world today reminds me of this bum I saw in Manhattan once carrying a sign saying "The End Is Near!" I saw him being hit by a car and falling to the ground. As he wiped the dust and blood off his face, there was this cold smile rejoicing his prophecy being fulfilled.
There is no shortage of bad news anywhere today. The unending chatters in the newspapers, on television and even at the office water coolers about the economy is getting annoying. As if that were not enough, the recent out break of the swine flu have the doomsayers painting the Great Depression coupled with the London plague kind of a picture. The world today reminds me of this bum I saw in Manhattan once carrying a sign saying "The End Is Near!" I saw him being hit by a car and falling to the ground. As he wiped the dust and blood off his face, there was this cold smile rejoicing his prophecy being fulfilled.
Fellow Golfers, 2008 was like the last hours of a great party when things started to go wrong. Simply put 2009 is your round of 18 with a terrible hangover on a hot humid day. You have to focus and keep yourself hydrated…. you can get through this.
Focus in Golf is a combination of where you focus your mind, eyes, body, breathing and intention. In fact your beliefs about your ability, your fears and the optical illusions deliberately designed into any golf course will distort what you focus on. When you tell yourself “don’t hit it in the water, again,” the ball is likely to end up in the water. This is a funny quirk of our golf mind. It doesn’t hear “don’t”. It’s like parents yelling at their kids “don’t run”. What do they do? Better to yell what you want, in the positive “Walk”.
Now think of that in context of our work life. To get the desirable outcome each day we need to draw upon our experiences, people skills, and relationship’s working together for one outcome. Our beliefs about our ability, our fears and the various theories around the current economic chaos will distort what we think, we see and more importantly what we focus on. It is important to keep the focus on the positive outcomes such as “having a great quarter” or “delivering the project on time and within budget” rather than testing the quirks of the golfing mind.
It is also very important to stay hydrated. If you do not keep your body properly hydrated you will not be able to perform as well as you could on the golf course. It is recommended that you drink fluids, like water and Gatorade, in smaller amounts on a regular basis and not wait until you get to a drink station every six holes or so.
In the gloomy world outside the Golf course what this really means is we need to take regular breaks to refresh the mind and not just wait for the annual vacation. This applies even more in stressful times like we live in today. It could be simple things like spend the weekend doing nothing with the kids or writing a blog or planning to go for the “Pussy cat dolls” concert (don’t judge me these girls are really talented musicians).
When faced with all the ups and downs of life,
Still the mind remains unshaken,
Not lamenting, not generating defilements, always feeling secure,
This is the greatest happiness.
- Buddha
- Buddha
A Thai gentleman I respect a lot gave me a pocket watch last year with a Buddhist inscription “ this too shall pass”. This has become my Mantra, because I know for a fact that it will. Every day I notice I am a little less fearful or overwhelmed. I expect the odd setback like a lost night of sleep or a moment of discouragement or depression, but I'll get through.
The Golf game on Brian’s birthday is probably the most memorable round I have ever played. It was the beautiful Jack Nicklaus course at Bintan Lagoon resort. Despite the hangover I kept my focus, kept myself hydrated and completed the 1st nine with a respectable 49. When it came to the back nine I was a little less fearful or overwhelmed. I made five pars in a row shooting one of the lowest scores in my life.
The two Jack’s (Nicklaus and Daniel's) came together on that fateful and day and taught me a thing or two about grinding my way out of a difficult situation. I hope the 2nd half of 2009 plays like my back nine on Brian’s birthday.
Enjoy it!
