Integrity in the game of golf is such that even if no other player happened to be in view of the clump of nettles, meaning no other player would see you if you sneakily retrieved your ball, you would still take your next shot from the middle of that clump of nettles. Fishing the ball out with your club before taking your next shot would make life much easier and improve your score for your round – and, after all, no one would actually know you’d fished it out except you – but, if you want to call yourself a golfer, you’ll continue to play that shot from where it lies. If you move it, you’re cheating. In the current sports climate of mandatory drug testing for performance enhancing drugs, this mental attitude, and willingness to play the game by the rules, speaks volumes about the psychology of those who make it to the top.

“Play it as it lies is one of the fundamental dictates of golf. The other is, wear it if it clashes”

- Henry Beard

Be true to yourself

Some might say that cheating in golf, or any other sport, is only cheating if you get caught but when you play golf, you not only play against other players, you play against the course and you play against yourself. Even if no one caught you cheating by fishing your ball out of the nettles, you’d still be cheating yourself. Of course, it’s not actually against the rules to move your ball in order to make it more playable – your ball may land in the branches of a tree for example – but moving your ball must then be marked on your card as a shot taken.

Top golfers don’t get to the top by not marking their cards. The score on their card at the end of a round must always be a true reflection of their golfing ability. If they don’t like that score, they’ll get back out on the course and practice their skills until they achieve a score they like: then they’ll go back out again and see if they can improve some more. Top golfers are not content with a win over other players on a course, they are only content with a mastery of each course they play. In sports psychology terms, top golfers are motivated by mastery orientated goals: top golfers play to win but they always play against ‘old man par.’

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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Marianne Williamson

Self-Confidence! It’s one of those things that even the best of us struggle with at times. We can often get down on ourselves and literally tear strips off ourselves.
But that’s never the way to go!
During times like this, we often feel as we did back when we were growing up. As teenagers in particular, we were more concerned about fitting in with the crowd, rather than going out and really doing what we want.
But now that we’re mature adults…(well sometimes )
…it’s time to have  confidence to do what we want in life!
Now whether you’re sixteen or sixty, this can be hard. We often fall into two traps:
1. That of not believing in ourselves; and
2. That of worrying about what other people think.
So! How do you get around these two traps and avoid getting stuck altogether?
Easy! We need to tackle each one and look each of those two traps fair and square in the eye.
You ARE brilliant!

Each human being has their own brilliance – the ability to go and create the life they want. The ability to CREATE all of those really great things they want out of life.
Life is favourable to us and ready to help us once we decide what we want, focus on the outcome as though it has already happened – and go for it!
We are brilliant because we have the ability to create our own reality and our outcomes.
Remember the quote I shared the other day with you by W. Clement Stone: “Whatever the mind…can conceive it can achieve.”
So replace those words of, “I can’t do it! It’s too hard!” to, “I can do this, I will get there”
And as for what other people think of you…
…WHO CARES! All that matters is what YOU think of YOU!
It’s YOUR thinking – YOUR thoughts – that create your reality. What other people think about you has no power whatsoever.
So do not feel limited by what other people say and think.
Remember that you are BRILLIANT – and believe it at all times!
Just recently I read a superb quote by Dr. Daniel Amen, as published in Jack Canfield’s book, “The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.”
The quote is actually called the 18/40/60 Rule and it goes like this:
“When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you’re 40, you don’t give a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all.”
So there you go!
One of life’s greatest mysteries unraveled right before your eyes, right here!
Your thoughts and your thoughts alone are the ONLY ones that have power of you. So remember your brilliance. Believe it at all times…and go for whatever you want in life with REAL confidence!

Action Project:

1. Remind yourself of at least 3 times you allowed yourself to shine and write these times down
2. From how you feel when you “shine” write down 3 goals, dreams or projects you would love to achieve
3. Choose to start and make one inspired action today to start your journey

Further Reading:

• “Instant Confidence”  Paul McKenna
• “You Can Have What You Want” Michael Neill

‘Somebody should tell us …right at the start of our lives…that we are dying.Then we might live to the limit,every minute of every day.Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows” Michael Landon

Be fearless …What will you do today ?

Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it. People come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts we come to be just. By doing self controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled, and by doing brave acts we become brave.” Aristotle

How can you be brave today ?