As the year draws towards a close I was thinking about the waves and the troughs of the diverse markets that we oversee. The dizzying pace of change, numerous factors coming at one with lightening speed …and it came to me that through all this one thing that stood out was my newly discovered love of golf and how it added value to my life and to my “thought process”…to pause and play is the only way.
After nearly three decades of playing cat and mouse with my golf obsessed father ..I trundled down to the course with him on a sunny February afternoon. Truth be told I was more looking forward to a nice lunch at the Arabian Ranches after I had indulged my Dad with some shots at the course. This was almost a year and a half back….and am hooked to the greens.
Life happened and my course outings were intermittent to the best thereafter. But somehow I started finding the time for it..to the extent of even going to the driving range in the middle of the Dubai summer . I needed to hit the range even though I was miles away from playing the course. As an entrepreneur and that too a headhunter we deal with loads of information and emotion through out the day. With the markets facing headwinds and restructurings, job losses , lowered salary scales..the emotions of the talent pool can run amok. Being in the region for over two decades one develops strong networks and meaningful relationships…these relationships demand share of voice and mind. Your team demands their share of your heart and mind…in the middle of all this somehow Golf did not let go of me . Thank god for that …as I look back and see the positive difference it made to me.
In the long hours spent on the driving range with my father who is an ex Army Officer ..seen his share of world turmoil and life. In his easy going manner he said…see Golf will improve you as a professional as a person (all this while I am trying to ensure that my head does not move when I swing) ..firstly play the game because you enjoy it…secondly if your competitor has played better than you ..enjoy that also (and mean it) and thirdly ..pause and play don’t take shot after shot without checking your stance / direction ..and the final one he quoted Bobby Jones “Golf is a game played on a 5 inch course- the distance between your ears”
The 5 inch course is where all our life drama plays out…keep it green, keep it refreshed , do something out of your comfort zone…but most importantly learn to pause before you take that shot…take the right stance, check your grip, your direction, take a practice swing..a deep breath …off you go ! Don’t let the changes around us take over our ability to think and reflect.
Experience the magic..hit the golf course !
– Published on 15th Oct by Anjali Samuel, Managing Partner @ Mindfield Resource