Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
Never Too Early for a Lesson
The calendar might say that spring officially started a few weeks ago but here in Central Ohio, Mother Nature doesn’t let anyone else tell her what to do. The grass might be turning greener, there are some buds on the trees and a few daffodils poking through the frozen ground, but it’s probably not a smart idea to start packing away your sweaters and jackets and adding shorts and t-shirts to your wardrobe just yet. In fact, there are snow flurries in the two-day forecast.
Spring Break should really be called “Winter Escape” because that’s what most people are doing; escaping the cold, dreary gray skies in search of sunshine and warmer temperatures.
The Masters is Coming
A traditional sign of spring for many people happens this week; The Masters begins in Augusta, Georgia. For sports fans, we are in the midst of the ultimate confluence of sports occurs when the Major League Baseball season begins, College Basketball culminates with the Men’s and Women’s Final Four, the NHL and NBA seasons wind down the playoffs and the best players in golf arrive to play the first major of the season between the Georgia pines and blooming azaleas at Augusta National Golf Club. Tuning in to the action starting on Thursday gives golfers everywhere hope that the new season is here, but especially for those living above the Mason-Dixon Line, that it’s almost time to get the sticks out and start playing. (Of course, the crazies up here play all year-long. As long as the ground is visible, they are bundling up and finding a way to squeeze a few holes in.)
Time for a Tune Up
My son Ryan had his first lesson of the new season this weekend. It was only 45 degrees but the sun was shining and he was excited to get started with his new swing coach. A major growth spurt has seen him grow almost 5 inches since last season. It’s time for Ryan to start seeing…and more importantly, feeling a whole new swing.
Getting the ball as close as possible to the target is the goal, but in order for that to happen, the club needs to strike the ball squarely and on the correct swing path…which means the body needs to help that occur. It will…if the brain tells the muscles what to do. Not surprisingly, the brain doesn’t know what to do until the eyes focus on the target and the ears listen to the instruction of what is supposed to happen. One thing leads to another, which leads to another, which hopefully gets the results that were desired.
Who is your “swing coach”? Who is helping you see…and feel…the strokes you need to be making to achieve the results you desire? Are you making the time to practice each day, seeking to create confidence and consistency in your daily routine?
The best shots in golf happen when you trust your swing and let the club do the work. The best salespeople know they have practiced and prepared for the pressure-filled moments so when they occur, they simply react and respond without thinking too much.
That’s where Ryan is trying to get. It doesn’t happen overnight…but when it happens, it will happen overnight. “Thanks, coach,” Ryan said at the end of his lesson. “See ya next week.” He knows he has work to do but it had to start somewhere.
Where are you trying to be when the season is up? It doesn’t have to happen overnight…but when it happens, it will happen overnight. Start building relationships, solving problems, and having fun.
See ya next week. You’ve got work to do.