Have you ever asked yourself the question, am I giving it my all to be my best? I’m sure you have thought you are giving your best, but how do you know? This may or may not come as a surprise to you, but science and research on human performance shows that we have more to give, in many cases a lot more! 40% more!
We have all had a moment in our lives that makes us feel as though we cannot give any more, you have reached your maximum capacity, the tank is empty, or it is just too painful, so you stop or quit. Along the journey you feel your goals are too large to achieve, the mountain is too high, you don’t have the talent to move and keep pursuing. In the moment of despair, when you feel the mountain is too high or that you are not able to cross the finish line to your goal, you may just be one step away! At The Golf Performance Center, we deal with this daily. We hear and see athletes give in to what they feel is the boiling point of their talents, little do they know with one more degree of effort, the boiling talent creates the steam needed to move them forward. With forward progress, you gain momentum, with momentum you continue moving towards the mountain top. Even the most powerful of trains when stopped cannot overcome a one inch barrier on the tracks. However, the same train with momentum can blow through a five-foot concrete wall on the same tracks. Momentum is powerful! Keep the effort moving, even when it feels as though you are not making progress, one more rep, one more step, one more putt!
You may have 40% more capacity! Come On Man! Let me try to explain. In the research of human performance by several physiologists and psychologists as it relates to capacity of the mind and how it can affect the outcomes of achievement. The study done a few years ago with the Navy Seals gave a little insight to what you and I are capable of both physically and mentally. I am sure many of you have heard about the rigorous and deplorable conditions that the incoming Navy Seal’s are put through during “hell” week (if they make it a week). If you haven’t seen any of the many videos or movies about this training, it may be worth a watch! What the researchers found as they followed the men and women who have attempted to complete this course and become “Frogmen” Navy Seal’s, is nothing more than miraculous. Not to get into the scientific terminology, but the people who completed the training were able to tap into more of their mental and physical capacities to help them survive the brutal treatment for 5 days and 4 nights with only 1 hour sleep a day, that’s right, 1 hour sleep a day! They logged more than 22 hours of stressful intensive exercise a day while eating and drinking minimal amounts. This will certainly test the will to survive! As the mind goes into stress, it can and does play many tricks on itself, like shutting down to hallucinations. All the while the commanders are only looking to weed out the weak. This is their vetting process just getting to the training and all the candidates are qualified and justifiably there in “hell” week. This is what they call the 1% percent rule. All people are created equal until they are challenged. The Navy Seals only want the 1% that are willing to die before they quit. Why? Because they must be willing to lay down their life for a fellow human being without hesitation, as many of them would say. “I am willing to die for what I believe in.” It has been found that the men and women who made it through this brutal week were able to find a way to tap into a deeper thinking pattern, they were able to use 40% more brain power, their focus was deeper and moved from conscious to unconscious behavior, needing less energy and relying on survival instincts. Psychologists call this the must not the want to attitude. You don’t want to do another hour in the cold water, you must spend another hour in cold water to fulfill your purpose!
In conclusion, you have more to give, you must realize if we want something bad enough, like playing golf in college at a top Division I program or be the #1 player in the world, or to win your club championship or just to be your best, it is not enough to want to, you must, to become a one percenter. One more rep, one more swing, one more putt, one more hour of pushing yourself to the boiling point, allowing your steam to keep the momentum pushing you forward!
Enjoy Your Journey!
