Practice does make a “P” Word Happen. But not the Word You’re Thinking of.
Do you know what word(s) beginning with the letter “P” great practice makes?
- Practice makes a “Pathway” – It is through good practice habits that you can open the doors to future success, a proverbial pathway to the goals and objective you have for you game. This pathway can sometimes be littered with obstacles, distractions, and other items that will sometimes tend to get in the way of your success, much like a highway has billboards, exits, road signs, and other things that can sometimes cause confusion, if not paying attention. Be sure the pathway you take during your practice sessions are well planned, detailed, and always has a mission to accomplish.
- Practice makes “Potential” happen – Without practicing specific skills, how can you measure if you have any potential or not? Potential is not an abstract subjective observation. Potential is a real measurement of your ability to reach a desired skill level independent of any comparisons to someone else. There have been a lot of Athletes who have had “tremendous potential,” only to let themselves and their teams down by not practicing the skills necessary to achieve their potential. Do not get caught up in what your potential may be perceived as being by others. Instead, realize your potential be creating realistic and time lined goals that provide an objective measurement that allows you to obtain your goals.
- Practice makes “Permanent” – It is too logical and therefore vastly overlooked that if you repeat a certain skill over a period of time, you will ingrain that skill within the athletic habits you possess. Keeping this in mind, do you really want to practice something to point of ingraining when that something may not be what you are ultimately looking to achieve? Doing so may force you to practice something different later to correct the permanency you created while practicing the wrong thing. Be sure that if you are going to commit to practicing a skill, that the drills, exercises, and routines to ingrain that skill are correct for you and your overall improvement process, so you do not have to go back and correct another mistake.
- Practice makes “Possibilities” happen – Don’t fool yourself into thinking that the career round is right around the corner waiting for you to play it. If that is a possibility, it will only take place with dedicated practice. Learning to play is a lost art and is equally important to learning a skill. But allowing yourself to play with confidence will be much easier if you know that you have put in the proper amount of time necessary to stand confident over each shot.
- Practice “Perpetuates” – As you learn, hone, and make permanent a skill that allows you to reach your potential, you in turn allow yourself to explore new possibilities with your game, completing a learning cycle that if maintained, can lead to you reaching goals you may not have ever thought possible, creating new pathways to future successes. Be sure that as you practice, you are sowing the seeds to future success for you and the people around you that you enjoy playing golf with. It is through this perpetuation that generations before us and generations after us will continue to enjoy a game that constantly demands that we do the best we can each time we step on the course, or the practice facility.
Do you have a “P” word that fits into this time honored adage? If so, send me your thoughts so we can perpetuate and evolve this statement into one that everyone will receive some value