I received a note from Richard last week that ignited a few thoughts.
I downloaded Play Magic Golf on August 10. I finished listening on the 12th. I downloaded the Zen Hypnosis: Confidence audio on the 13th.
After 15 years of playing golf, I had my first hole-in-one on August 15. Yesterday I had an eagle on a par 5. I seem to be more calm and focused on the course since listening to your audio.
Richard’s note arrived at the same time as I finally found time to start reading a book that had been recommended to me by a tour golfer about two years ago, called The Talent Code, and lent to me by Mark. It attempts to explain why certain parts of the world at different times are hotbeds of talent. Examples come from the fields of music, art, sports, and science. This is the book description.
‘In The Talent Code, award-winning journalist Daniel Coyle draws on cutting-edge research to reveal that, far from being some abstract mystical power fixed at birth, ability really can be created and nurtured.
In the process, he considers talent at work in venues as diverse as a music school in Dallas and a tennis academy near Moscow to demonstrate how the wiring of our brains can be transformed by the way we approach particular tasks. He explains what is really going on when apparently unremarkable people suddenly make a major leap forward. He reveals why some teaching methods are so much more effective than others. Above all, he shows how all of us can achieve our full potential if we set about training our brains in the right way.’
The three elements of The Talent Code are practice, ignition, and master coaching. Practice, yes, it does require effort, but less than expected. Ignition requires activation by primal instinctive cues or reflexes. These are often fired when individuals drop the word impossible from their vocabulary, and replace it with possible. The final ingredients are the master coaches, also known as the talent whisperers. They don’t know the secret of their success, neither do their clients, but they consistently beat the odds.
So back to Richard’s note. I’m fascinated by holes-in-one in golf. They are flukes, or are they? Many of my clients have scored one or even more aces (the record so far is five), within a short time of reading or listening to my products, or becoming clients.
These coincidences shatter the laws of statistics, and I have no idea why this should be so. Nor am I suggesting that Richard will become a great golfer, but of course, it is possible. Who knows? My only wish is that he continues to enjoy his golf, because we all need an activity that provides enjoyment, and diversion, and an opportunity to flow.
Have a cracking week, crammed with possibilities. Comments are welcome, as always.
