Many people wait for their futures to unfold, others engineer theirs. One type of person relies completely on luck, but the other type create their own good fortune. Which one would you rather be?
It’s that time of the year again when we all sit down with great intentions and write out our ‘plan’ or ‘goals’ for the new year. “Get fit”, “lose weight” or in golf it could be “practice more”. Setting these goals are all well and good but all to often we are back to square one by the 1st February because “things got in the way” or simply our old comfortable habits returned. So how can we make 2015 better?
Picture this year as a car journey to a more prosperous and successful destination. Ok, I’ll explain. Firstly you need to know your finishing point, i.e. where you actually want to go. It could be to reduce your handicap by 3 shots or simply to play more. But you must know exactly where you want to go because if you don’t know where you are going then how are you going to know when you get there? Begin with the end in mind.
[styled_image image=”http://www.johnnyfostergolfacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/plan1.jpg” w=”300″ h=”240″ link=”” lightbox=”yes” alt=”Plan Execute Succeed” rel=”tour” align=”right”]Now let’s key the destination into our ‘Sat Nav’. Our Sat Nav will guide our journey, whether it be a coach or a mentor, you must trust it to guide the way. What steps will we take and what obstacles will we have to pass to reach our destination? This is the most important part of the journey – knowing exactly what we are going to do to reach our destination. Without our trusted guide, invariably we will find ourselves lost in ‘no man’s’ land!
All to often at the JFGA we see club golfers who set out with great intentions of reaching new heights in their golf but they get lost half way because they slip up somewhere along the line and abandon the plan. Newsflash!! You are going to have some pretty rough times during this journey. You may take a wrong turn but you always must stay true to the agreed plan and find your way back onto the chosen path.
We believe an effective plan should involve these characteristics:
- Action Packed: By deciding what actions you will take to make your vision become a reality, you take control of events not just respond to them.
- Accuracy: Back to the Sat Nav. Discuss with your coach times you would like to have achieved your goals by. What’s the estimated time of arrival? Nothing gets done “sooner or later”.
- Flexibility: you can’t predict everything that impacts your future but you can plan for contingencies.
[styled_image image=”http://www.johnnyfostergolfacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/plan2.jpg” w=”300″ h=”240″ link=”” lightbox=”yes” alt=”Plan Execute Succeed” rel=”tour” align=”left”]At the JFGA, we have the privilege of helping some of the world’s best golfers prepare and perform. And I will tell you right now, they know exactly where they want to go and precisely what they are going to do to get there.
At our academy we always make sure to set out an exact plan with a student before embarking on an agreed journey together to give them the best chance of reaching their goals. Don’t be too proud to ask for help in setting your plan. It needs structure and consistent delivery in order to succeed.
So before you plan your 2015, make sure you key in that destination. Be aware of the steps you are going to take in order to get there. And embrace the rocky road along the way!
Thanks for reading. If you like any of these ideas and want to learn more, or are interested in our academy, please feel free to contact us by email on info@johnnyfostergolfacademy.com
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Happy new year from the JFGA,
