Jakub Šafránek

View Original

Seven lessons from golf: (2) Do not be the best in the room.

You learn the fastest when you surround yourself with people that are much better than you at what you do.

That's the easiest way to improve quickly, because if you know what you want, people will feel it and they will help you so much you would be suprised. I have learned this when I decided to go to the golf course with my friend, whose handicap is around 30 and mine is 54, easilly put: he plays way better than me. I knew that I will slow down the game a lot, I knew that he could play a lot more playing with someone better and still he decided to go with me. It's maybe because he wants to help, or I might tell him something he didn't know. He helped me numerous times to find the ball, he gave me tips how to improve and encouraged me to continue. But before this rosy image everyone has to go through the self-limiting belief that it's stupid to embarrass yourself in front of others. 

Mistakes are only opportunities to learn.

Easily said than done, therefore I encourage not only myself, but you too to stretch yourself regulary. Every time I play golf with someone better I feel stupid, but I know I am growing. I don't know how to overcome this, but I think it's not important. It's much better to feel strange, but do it anyway. Just put yourself into the habit of not being the best in the room, ask others for help and you will grow.