The Practicing Mind

I love reading any and all books that are golf related... swing improvement, golfer biographies, mental focus books.  This past week I read a book called The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner.  A fairly short book at just under 150 pages, this is an easy and enjoyable read which will help rejuvenate your outlook on golf and life.

"We all understand that an activity such as learning to play a musical instrument or developing a fundamentally sound golf swing are skills and as such require practice.  But in fact, life is a journey that requires and even forces us to master one skill after another."  Writes Sterner.  "The ability to develop any skill as swiftly as possible, with the least amount of effort, and even to experience inner peace and joy in the process, is in fact a skill itself, and one that requires constant practice to become an effortless part of who we are."

The Practicing Mind helps readers learn to love the process of mastering any skill or challenge through mindfulness.  It helps us understand exactly what present moment awareness is, how the culture we live in constantly instructs us to the contrary, and how we can change our mindset to make this a part of our daily living.

"When we learn to focus on and embrace the process of experiencing life, whether we're working toward a personal aspiration or working through a difficult time, we begin to free ourselves from the stress and anxiety that are born out of our attachment to our goals.  When we subtly shift toward both focusing on and finding joy in the process of 'achieving' instead of 'having' the goal, we have gained a new skill.  And once mastered, it is magical and incredibly empowering."

If you're looking for a book that helps you to understand and cope with the mental toughness of golf and life in general, then The Practicing Mind would be a fantastic read.  You can pick up a copy online from Amazon for only $12.37 by clicking the link below... Enjoy!