THE 3 ATTITUDES OF TIGER WOODS

I came across this article and I could really relate. I have never been a big fan of golf probably because I have never stepped on a course. But over the past five years I have been glued to the set on the weekend to watch Tiger. Not just to watch Tiger but to hear him talk about what he does. You don't have to be a golfer to see some of the reads why Tiger is so special. He has a very analytical mind along with a champions work ethic. But he also has a special mindset which Jeff Herring talks about:

I am not a golfer, unless you count an occasional game of putt-putt. I'm not even a fan of the game. But I am a fan of excellence, and so the following quotes by golfing great Tiger Woods recently caught my attention:

"I smile at obstacles."

"My will can move mountains."

"I will do it with all my heart."

This is a great approach to solving problems and facing challenges in life.

"I smile at obstacles."

What a novel approach. Most of the time, we cringe, avoid and complain instead. Unfortunately, none of that solves a problem. Often, problems just get worse.

Smiling at obstacles means we know that we're bigger than the problems facing us, because we know we will learn and become stronger and wiser through solving them.

Instead of complaining about challenges, we can see them as gifts. Most every problem or challenge comes with a gift in its hands. The gift is what we will learn through solving the problems and facing the challenges.

Several years ago I worked in a drug rehab program for teenagers. Late one evening, as I talked with one of the staff about the crises of the day, I said "You know what, whatever we do in the rest of our careers will have to be easier than this." Scott's response was, "Either that, or this is just preparing us for what's next."

Scott was right. Problems and challenges can either define you or refine you. When you embrace the situation in front of you, you are refined like gold.

"My will can move mountains"

This does not mean that our will is the be all and end all of any given situation, or that our will can get us anything we want. Frankly, if humans are the be all and end all, we are all in big trouble. What this quote means, I believe, is that when we focus our energy on the problems before us, they are in trouble. The ability to understand where you are, look at where you exactly want to go, create a plan to get there, and then work the plan for all you are worth brings incredible rewards.

Focused action can move the mountains in front of you. But too many times we are like the frog in this riddle: "Three frogs were sitting in a pond on a lily pad when one decided to jump off. How many frogs were left?" Most people say two. The correct answer is three, because while the frog may have decided to jump, he did not jump off.

While it's important to decide to do something, focused action is the only way to get the results you want.

"I will do it with all my heart"

I believe most people sleepwalk through life. Just stand outside a large office building on a Monday morning. You'll see people in trances, sleepwalking through their day.

Yet when we bring all our heart to any activity, we come alive and actually have the opportunity to live the way we say we want to.

All of us know folks who brings their whole heart to what they do. Don't you love being around them?

Why not be one of those people yourself?

When we bring our whole heart to a problem or challenge, it is easier to solve, and we just might have fun along the way.

There is a saying that there is a time in the life of every problem or challenge when it is big enough to notice, and small enough to solve easily.

When you bring these three skills to the table, you will notice problems early, solve them easily and grow more than you ever thought you would.

For more articles from Jeff Herring visit: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Herring

SLEEPING WITH THE GREEN JACKET

How bad do you desire that which you hope to achieve? How much does it mean to you when you achieve that goal?

"One of the great traditions is the awarding of the green jacket to the winner of the Masters. Tiger Woods wore his jacket proudly at the champion’s dinner that night. He was wearing it for himself, his parents, his teachers, his heroes, and the millions of people who believed in him. Later that evening, during a celebration party in a house Tiger had rented for his stay at the Masters, Tida Woods noticed her son was missing. She went to an upstairs bedroom and found Tiger fast asleep, clutching that green jacket like it was a teddy bear."

From “Tiger Traits” by Nate Booth

THE THREE STAGES OF CHANGE

Some more notes on Tiger Woods from the book "Tiger Traits" by Nate Booth.

Any time you make a change -- whether it's improving your golf swing, moving your family from one city to another or leading a new initiative in your company -- you will go through three staged of change. To maximize your chances of success, it's vital that you understand and enthusiastically and intelligently move through the stages.

Stage One - Letting Go of the Old

As strange as it might seem, the first stage of all changes is an ending.

When Tiger made the changes to his swing in 1997 and 2002, he had to leave his old swing behind. For most people this would be a difficult choice, because Tiger had been wildly successful with that swing. However, he knew the swing that got him to where he was would get him to where he wanted to go. So he made a leap of faith.

"Don't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the short for a very long time."

-Andre Gide-

Stage Two - Transitioning Between the Old and the New

Stage two is the limbo period between the old and the new.

"It's not so much that we're afraid to change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear. It's like being between two trapezes. It's Linus with his blanket in the dryer. There is nothing to hold on to."

-Marilyn Ferguson-

It's the price you have to pay to make the change. If done correctly, the price paid in the transition period is far less than the price paid if you stubbornly hang onto the first bar.

Stage Three - Embracing the New

The first stage of change is an ending. The last stage of change is a new beginning, complete with enhanced skills learned during the flight.

"The only joy in the world is to begin."

-Cesare Pavese-

TIGER WOODS FOUR STAGES OF MASTERY

Some more notes on Tiger Woods from the book "Tiger Traits" by Nate Booth.

"I never met any athlete who worked as hard on his game as Tiger."

-Charles Barkley-

Tiger knew the secret to mastery when he was only six years old. Tiger already had made two holes-in-one. People would ask him, "How did you get so good, Tiger?" And he would answer, "Practice, practice, practice."

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

-Aristotle-

FOUR STAGES OF MASTERS

State One - Unconscious Incompetence

When you're unconsciously incompetent, you don't know that you don't know. There was a time early in his life when Tiger didn't know that he didn't know about golf. There's nothing wrong with that. Ignorance is the first stage of mastery.

Stage Two - Conscious Incompetence

When you're consciously incompetent, you know that you don't know. Knowledge moves you from state one to state two. In stage two, you're motivated to take action.

Stage Three - Conscious Competence

At this state, you know that to do and you can perform the activity, but you have to put all your focus on doing it.

Stage Four - Unconscious Competence

When you're unconsciously competent, you can do the activity without thinking about. It seems natural to you.

"My body does the work, and I just sit back and let it happen."

-Tiger Woods-

TOMORROW I WILL BE BETTER THAN TODAY

"It's a never-ending struggle, which is great. You can always get better! You can never get there. It's a journey with no arrival. And that's the beauty of it -- that you can always become better the next day. It's pretty cool to think about it in that sense. Tomorrow I will be a better player than I was today."

-Tiger Woods-

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Some more on Tiger Woods via Nate Booth's book, "Tiger Traits."

"Even with the tons of natural talent like Tiger has, golf is a difficult game to master. Tiger knew the secret to master when he was only six year old. Tiger already had made two holes-in-one. People would ask him, 'How did you get so good, Tiger?' And he would answer, 'Practice, practice, practice.'"

"What we do best or most perfectly is

what we have most thoroughly learned by

the longest practice; and at length it falls from

us without our notice, as a leaf from a tree."

-Henry David Thoreau-