Happy 2022!

Grateful for 2021, Happy and Excited for 2022! 
Oh, where did the time go! As 2021 gives way to 2022, take the first weekend of the year to reflect on all the things you learned, improved upon, accomplished, and begin building your goals for 2022.  As you reflect on the past year of growth remember to feel the sense of gratitude for all of it, the good and bad.  Why would you be grateful for the bad experiences or the failed attempts or bad scores?   Hopefully during your reflection time, you begin to understand how the struggle helped you learn and succeed at something you may have been working towards.  The wins do not come without losses.  Be grateful for all of it.   
What is the difference between someone who has made the transition from bad, good to a great golfer?  Many say it’s natural talent, well, talent may be a part of the equation because it is the most talked about.  Maybe it’s good instruction or perhaps luck makes someone great?   Believe it or not, luck does have a part in it!  But more importantly than talent, instruction and luck, is gratitude, it has as much if not more than anything else.  GRATITUDE!  
Gratitude, be thankful or grateful for what you have or don’t have because it all matters to who you are!  If you can have gratitude every time you play the game or every day that you have the ability to do something that many aren’t able to do like go outside, walk a beautiful golf course, gratitude is a freeing experience!  It will free you up to accept that not every golf challenge will go your way but many of them will and when they do you will be able to think better on the course and off course. You will make better decisions; your mind is not caught up on being entitled, or expectations, you will simply be in a better space to be your best self.  Playing with gratitude will allow you to ease the judgement of your shots, not highlight everything you do wrong but rather give weight to some good shots too. Gratitude allows you to accept your process, understanding that your process is the easiest way to find flow state.  When you are able to express gratitude for the good and the bad, you will find that following your process becomes much easier.  
Acceptance. No one likes hitting bad shots, but we need to learn how to accept them!  They are going to happen!  By learning how to accept the consequences, good or bad it allows us to free up space in our mind to execute to our fullest potential.  So, the next time you hit a bad shot, be grateful for the learning moment, act like you knew that may happen and give yourself a few seconds to accept it and move on.  When you berate or beat yourself up over bad shots and never praise yourself for good shots, you will eventually be standing over every shot thinking that you don’t know what is about to happen, but it probably won’t be good!  Be grateful that you have another great learning opportunity, a shot that you have never had before.  
Be kind to yourself, it doesn’t mean you can’t be upset about hitting a bad shot, but also be ready to give some praise for a good shot!  Golf is a hard game and the competition fierce, enjoy the game, enjoy 2022 for all the bad and the good, be grateful, it will make the difference, you have a choice!
Enjoy Your Journey! 
Roger