The Heart Of The Matter
The phrase Mentally Tough has become the accepted label to describe the characteristics that cause people to be their best. This is evident by the titles used to describe people in the field such as, Sports Psychologist or Mental Game Coach. When I travel to corporate or sports venues people often ask, What is he or she thinking when theyre on the course? or What is it in their mind that makes them play so well under pressure? or they say, I wish I had the same mental abilities the pros have. Well, heres a secret. You already do have the same opportunities to use your mind in the same way and its not just the mind that elevates those who excel. There is something called heart power that is just as important. Vince Lombardi, famed coach of the NFL Green Bay Packers championship football teams in the 1960s said,
Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind himwe call it heart powernothing will stop him short of success.
While so many focus on the mind it is the heart that truly holds your power to succeed. The mind thinks and the heart propels. Its the force that drives us to play, compete and keep going regardless of the circumstances. While so many focused on Tigers mental toughness last week at the US Open, I believe what we saw was the heart of a champion being expressed.
The truth is; the mind and heart are connected. Although science separates them as being different organs, they are not separate in terms of how each of us produces outcomes on the golf course or in life. I am talking about the heart as being so much more than just an organ that pumps blood. Heart power is connected to attributes such as:
Desire
Passion
Energy
Emotion
Confidence
Embracing Adversity
Loving the moment
HeartMath, a California based company has put the power of the heart into scientific research and has discovered that emotion is 40 to 60 times stronger than the intellect. What this means is that emotion triggers a more powerful flow of energy in the body than the intellect and when our emotion is at a certain intensity levelthe intellect is really no match. If youve ever been intensely angry or frustrated and tried to calm yourself down in that moment you know how difficult it can be. Its difficult because the intellect is no match for the powerful influence that emotion has inside the body.
Your mind thinks and your heart power propels you to reach your potential and to the highest level of experience. It is the driving force we all have access to.
To Your Best Golf!
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