Breathe, Relax, Swing: Embracing Flow & Freedom

Embracing Flow & Freedom

Today I went out and shot the best golf game of my junior-amateur career. I shot a spectacular 92!!! LOL...clearly I won't be making any cuts or money any time in the near future on anybody's tournament, professional or otherwise. Nevertheless, it was a monumental victory for me as I've been playing golf for over 5 years and can count on one hand how many times I've actually broken 100.

Golf is a sport that is positioned to challenge you both physically but more so mentally. THAT is the first lesson of golf. From an athletic perspective, and this is ONLY meant to create context, I can bench press 315lbs, curl 40lb dumb bells, squat well over 300lbs and run for 5 miles without thinking about it. The funny thing about golf is, none of that matters. None of that plays any significant role whatsoever in terms of teeing off and getting the small white ball into the hole. Golf doesn't care in the least bit about how strong you are, how much you can bench press or how far or fast you can run. It is more about your mind. And more specifically, how is your mind aligned with your desired result?

Sometimes when I'm on the tee box, there's several people around, and the thought comes to mind, "I'm going to KILL this shot! I'm going to launch this thing 300 yards, just watch!" And as I feel the testosterone course through my veins and my muscles tense up and prepare to strike with "God-given" force, I hit the ball and instead of going 300 yards, it sputters just past the women's tees for about 75 yards instead. That's mainly because I'm trying to "muscle" the situation instead of aligning with my desires. How many times a day do we look to "muscle" or control a situation in an effort to force it to succumb to our desired outcome? We don't let people into our lane in traffic as if we will get to our destination that much faster so we speed up and muscle them out. We bend the truth or embellish the facts to convince someone at work to vote our way on an issue. We ask someone to handle something and then take it completely over and do it ourselves for fear it won't turn out the way we want it to. We argue, debate and defend our intellectual positions vehemently to prove we are "right." We "muscle" the situations we are faced with instead of allowing them to happen freely as they are designed to. When I line up on the tee box, keep my head down, left arm straight, rotate my hips and simply BREATHE and RELAX...I barely feel the ball when I strike it. And it goes 300 yards (or something like that). Straight. Effortlessly.

Releasing my perceived control allows my desired results to be realized. It is the difference between resistance and allowing. Resistance, also known as control, creates fear, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, worry and anger. Allowing creates peace, calm, comfort and contentment. Peace, calm, comfort and contentment allow for joy, happiness, freedom and true love to come through.

Release the perceived need to control. The more we attempt to control, the less control we actually have. This goes back to the Law of Attraction. Ironic I know, but the fact is, when we attempt to control, we are attempting to avoid a non-desired result. The more we try to control, in an effort to adjust to the result that we don't want, the more power the non-desired result gains. By simply expressing your desire, not doubting the outcome, and allowing it to happen, the quicker your desires are realized because you are in alignment with what you desire as opposed to being in alignment with the non-desired outcome.

One very important way to begin to release control is by releasing judgment. Release judgment starting with yourself. If I swing my golf club as hard as I can because I'm trying to "kill the ball" and it only goes 50 feet, I need not judge myself on my swing and what I did wrong and beat myself up for making a bad shot. On the next shot I simply need to start by expressing my desire to hit a good shot, breathe, relax and simply allow it to happen.

Release judgment of others as well. Releasing judgment of others allows your mind to be free. When your mind is free you make room for the allowing of creativity and manifestation. Judgment reflects a measurement of control. "If they do this then it means this." Or "I KNEW they would do that because that's what they always do." Or, "they always act like that, what do you expect?" The measurement of control is based on your perceptions, your fears, your anxieties, your frustrations, anger and/or insecurities. Releasing judgment of yourself and of others allows you to be open and free to create and allow your desired outcomes to be realized.

Align for your best stroke at life. Don't try to "muscle" your desires into existence. They don't like that. And that's not the way God nor the universe work. Just like golf, it's not really about muscle, but more so about finesse.

Express your desires. Write your visions. Meditate on what your final outcomes look like. Consciously envision your desires daily. Create. Manifest. Live. And simply be. Be one with yourself and you will live in your alignment. Living in your alignment will provide you with the best possible outcomes of the desires that you have created. Don't muscle through. Just breathe. Relax. And swing.

As I stepped off the green and looked back at the course, I felt a wave of satisfaction wash over me. My scorecard may not have boasted the numbers of a budding professional golfer, but the experience was a victory in its own right. I had learned something vital today—not just about golf, but about life.

The sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a warm glow that seemed to celebrate my small victory. I found comfort in the realization that the lessons I absorbed on the course extended far beyond the fairways. Golf is a mirror, reflecting our deepest tendencies, both positive and negative. Just as the game challenges our physical prowess, it relentlessly tests our mental fortitude, our patience, and our ability to let go.

As I walked towards the parking lot, I couldn't help but ponder how often we approach life with the same attitude. We push, we strain, we fight against the current, convinced that sheer force will yield the results we crave. In my pursuit of a better golf score, I had unknowingly illustrated a broader truth: the power of surrender. The more I relaxed and trusted my instincts during the game, the easier it became to perform well. What would it look like if we all applied that same philosophy to our daily endeavors?

I reached my car, my mind still racing with insights from the day. With the driver's seat waiting for me like a trusted friend, I took a moment to breathe deeply, absorbing the tranquility of the evening. It was time to take this newfound clarity home.

As I sat in the driver's seat, I considered my next steps. How often do I rush decisions in my personal life or career? How currently am I "muscling" my way through challenges, failing to see possibilities because I'm too focused on controlling every outcome? From here on, I vowed, my approach would shift. I would strive to embrace a spirit of allowing—easing into the flow of life, trusting that everything would unfold as it should.

I turned the ignition, and as the engine hummed to life, I realized that each drive, each putt, and each interaction would become less about pushing against obstacles and more about aligning with the path before me. I felt a refreshing sense of lightness wash over me, akin to the freedom I felt when I allowed my golf swing to be effortless. The potential for what lay ahead filled me with excitement.

Lessons learned on the course were, after all, lessons for life. My game today may not have been perfect, but it was profoundly significant. I'd been reminded that beneath all our efforts, there exists a serene power in the art of letting go. Tomorrow, just as I would step onto the fairway again, I would also step into my life with renewed resolve. I'd focus less on the outcomes I wished to impose and more on the natural rhythms of my journey.

As I drove away from the course, the horizon painted with shades of orange and pink, I felt hopeful. I could picture not just my next game of golf but also the many facets of my life where I could "swing" with confidence and grace, breathing deeply and allowing the universe to work its magic.

Yes, golf may be just a game, but wisdom can be found within it. With each round, I was learning not only to play but to live—a lesson not solely for the tee box, but for every venture I embarked upon. With this chapter closed, I looked forward to the next one—on the course and in life—where everything is a fresh opportunity to breathe, relax, and swing freely into what lies ahead.

Align to Enlighten

Align With The Soul and Enlighten Life's Journey