One of my favorite movies of all-time is
Caddyshack – one of those golf classics starring
Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield,
Chevy Chase and Lacy Underall (whoops, that's
what she was called in the movie – great name
by the way).
Anyway, in one scene Bill Murray shouts, 'IT'S
IN THE HOLE.' This is when he is playing imaginary
golf on a flower bed. Instead of whacking golf balls
he's destroying knocking flower petals into the air.
The line, 'It's in the hole' became a favorite I used for
another wonderful pastime I enjoy from time to time: pool.
Last night I got together with some friends to play. I
don't play often and I'm not great – but I enjoy it because
when I focus on what I want, i.e. picture the ball going
in the hole before I make the shot, I can play pretty well,
in spite of not being trained.
Anyway, before the third game I played, I pictured to myself knocking
three balls in on the break. I imagined it vividly. Then I told my friend, 'Watch me
hit three balls in from this shot.'
He looked at me and laughed.
I hit the cue ball and … one, two … annnndd – YES – three balls went into
the pockets.
I jumped up and down, excited as could be. 'See, I told you
what I was going to do,' I exclaimed.
I told the father and son I was playing against what I did, how
I visualized the balls going in one by one – then made the mistake
of teaching it to them. This made for much stiffer competition.
Again, I'm no master of the game of pool – but I'll say this – last
night I was playing at least 50% better than I normally do – and so
were my partners.
Just goes to show that everything starts in your mind.
A lot of people will tell you that the "secret" of success is nothing but
hard work. This advice is neither motivating, nor, in my opinion, true.
Yet you hear this advice given ALL THE TIME from people who don't
work hard themselves, yet are very successful.
Successful people don't "work hard." They PRACTICE. And when
they practice they often have no sense of time, no sense of "Gee, I'm really
working hard." Why? Because they love what they're doing.
Anyone who approaches exercise with the "hard work" mentality doesn't
last long. Those who approach it with the "I'm going to practice" or "I'm
going to train" attitude, fares much better.
No matter what level of skill you get to in whatever you do, the key to continued growth is practice.
It is NOT hard work. The more you practice something the better you get. And the better you get the
LESS work it requires. The easier a task becomes the more you enjoy it. In fact, that's when you
really know you love something. But when it's drudgery, when it's "hard work" – there's no joy
in what you're doing.
Today, before you exercise, instead of dreading the "hard work" you've been told is required,
do something different. Do as I did before knocking three balls in at once. Take some time
to mentally pretend and imagine your routine. See yourself doing superbly. See yourself
training and practicing with confidence and passion.
Practice the mental movie of your routine first; then go practice the physical routine. If you do
this I guarantee you'll have the best workout you've had in a long, long time.
Rise Up!
Matthew Furey
Zen Master of the Internet®
P.S. And if you want to know what I know about the mind and how you can train it to be your
obedient servant, guiding you to one success after another, then you'll want to get a hold of
program. It will change your life for the better. Start thinking in mental
pictures and your life will change. Substitute the "hard work" image with one of you "practicing
success." It'll make a profound difference.
Power Quote of The Day"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."
–Aristotle 4th Century BC Greek Philosopher |