Have you every heard of "growth mindset"? Of course you have. But have you internalized what it means to have a growth mindset? Chances are, you really haven't. Most people haven't. I know from experience.
Several years ago, if you had asked me if I had a growth mindset, I would have very confidently said, "Oh, absolutely! I love to learn!"
... but at that time, I definitely did not have a growth mindset. I had the opposite: a fixed mindset. So what was the disconnect?
Here was the problem: I only loved learning about things I was already good at. As a result, I had many years of practice saying things like, "I'm just not a math person," "I'm a terrible cook," and "I'll never be a runner." When the college advisor asked me what my major would be, I quickly said what popped into my head, "History," and silently added, because it's so easy for me to get A's. Indeed, history came easily to me where other subjects didn't. I never bothered to go too far down the road pursuing subjects that didn't make me feel naturally gifted.
My mindset was fixed, and I put labels on my identity: I'm good at history. I'm bad at math.
All of this changed one day in 2018. I was in a mental funk and I decided that I was going to have to do something to shake up my routine. I got a wild hair to download a running app after reading stories of how it had changed people's lives. I got up the next morning and went for a very slow jog. And then I got up the next day. And the next day. And pretty soon I started to notice that I was getting slightly--but measurably--better. Honestly, that progress became the thing that got me out of bed in the morning. I was enjoying seeing myself improving. I was developing my growth mindset.
Suddenly, I was developing confidence in other areas of my life. Instead of being paralyzed by the weight of the paper that had just been assigned to me in graduate school, I just got started. I found myself thinking something I had never thought before in my life: the first draft doesn't have to be perfect. This mindset shift, I knew, was entirely thanks to my new running practice.
Embracing a Growth Mindset on the Golf Course
So now let me get to the point. What does this have to do with golf?
In all likelihood, golf will not come naturally to you. You'll have to practice, learn new techniques, learn about yourself and your body, practice some more, fail, and learn some more.
That's why it's the perfect activity to help you work on your growth mindset. And as I described, having a growth mindset will in turn make you more confident in other parts of your life. Much like my journey with running, golf demands that you step out of your comfort zone, confront the unfamiliar, and persist through the learning curve.
Golf mirrors life in many ways. Your journey on the golf course teaches you resilience, adaptability, and the art of continuous improvement. Just as my slow jogs taught me the joy of progress, every swing on the golf course becomes a testament to your evolving abilities.
Confidence is about facing challenges head-on, knowing that improvement is a journey, not a destination. And your newfound confidence will extend way beyond the golf course. Suddenly, daunting tasks at work will become opportunities for growth. Just as the first draft doesn't have to be perfect, every swing doesn't have to be flawless.
Grow Your Confidence with Us
At Driving Pursuits, we believe in the transformative power of golf and the growth mindset. If you're ready for a more confident you, join us in the next cohort. Embrace the challenges, celebrate the victories, and let the lessons from the golf course echo in every area of your life.