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New Release
The Fairway Of Life
Simple Secrets To Playing Better Golf By Going With The Flow ~
Rand Scott Marquardt
Life & Mental Golf Performance Coach 
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FacebookThe Secret is The Law of Attraction…
…And it works every time with everything, including our golf game. So…don’t settle for mediocrity, and don’t settle for less anymore.
First, you must ask for what you clearly want – set an intention, visualize your goal, have a dream… Clearly state your end result, whether it is to break 100, be a 7-handicap golfer by the end of summer, or as in the case of Andrew Ruthkoski from Muskegon, Michigan play on the PGA Tour and be top 10 in the world. Like Nick Faldo keeps repeating, we gravitate toward the picture we are painting. Act as if it is so. If you just pretend on a daily basis, no matter how far-fetched, or scary, or silly it may seem that “it” is yours for the taken. Stars will realign and Providence will move through you – you will be shown how, but not until you fully commit. Visualize your end result…stop…take a snapshot picture of what that looks like, notice where you are now…and then make the necessary changes one at a time.
Step two, the second you commit God / The Universe answers – what you really, really want you get. Likewise, what you really, really don’t want you get. Apply this principle to everything, including what you’re thinking with every shot. Yes, we always get what we ask for – even lack or where we don’t want to go. Wanting something and not having it is a lack mentality. “Ask wisely, with love, for everything you want,” Mark Victor Hansen. Simply let it be and give thanks.
Whenever negative thoughts come up begin shifting your attention and thinking to more and more beneficial thoughts and beliefs – gradually you will drown out the negative ones and one day you’ll wake up a new you, letting go of old foolish self-sabotaging behaviors…wondering how it used to be with a smile on your face appreciating becoming your new desire. There is a process in creating a champion’s self-image, which runs everything in our life, including our golf game.
The third step in this process is that you align with this Well-Being, this pure positive energy and allow it in. This is what golfers call being in The Zone…and you can be there more often than ever before. Just take the next logical step. It’s dream plus action, which equals how plus manifestation. The how’s will be clearly shown once you fully commit. Pretty soon…you’re living the life of your dreams. Be patient and embrace the process – growth can be, and usually is messy. Most will want to quit, run away, or crawl back into their shell – or worse blame others and come up with all kinds of excuses. Take responsibility for being the creator of your life and you will be well on your way. You are God’s greatest creation, and you are meant to win!
I emphasis all of this again and again – because most will fail to set such a lofty goal for several negative based reasons, and many will die with the music still in them. Many have “wishful thinking” thoughts waiting to be ready. Summers pass and years go by. The time is now…and you will not have to think but for one second why you received this message today. Most will think they are undeserving or unworthy. Few will trust in the power of intentions and live the life of their dreams.
Remember challenges, adversity, and obstacles are what builds and strengthens our internal fortitude. We are both challenged in this life and blessed with amazing gifts.
For a deeper understanding of these amazing life principles be sure to pick up a copy of my new book, The Fairway of Life: Simple Secrets To Playing Better Golf By Going With The Flow ~.
Namaste,
Rand Marquardt
Life & Mental Golf Performance Coach
Inspiring Excellence Within!
P.S. Remember: Life & Golf are supposed to be fun
Focus Upon What You Prefer
Most people fall into the trap of telling it like it is or thinking it’s just the way it is. Most people will say give me what I want then I’ll be happy. I’m inviting you to be happy and you will do and have what you have wanted all along. Most people keep thinking the same ole thoughts and keep getting the same ole results. If you think what you have always thought you will get what you have always gotten. Most people live within this ‘bubble” of limited belief thinking. Most people want to tell the truth because that’s what they see. They think telling it like it is has something to do with their reality. Most people want to see it first to believe it. They say if you show me what I want, then I’ll believe it. I’m inviting you to shift your thinking to believe it and you will see it. I’m inviting you to shift your thinking upon being the powerful creator that you really are…that life really is happening through you – not to you.
What most people suffer from the insidious disease of limited beliefs, negative thinking, and other foolish self-sabotaging behaviors on the golf course and in all aspects of life. I’ve experienced all of them. After 36 years of living within this subconscious ingrained self-image of negativity, limited beliefs, and certainly plenty of foolish self-sabotaging behaviors, I’ve decided to do something about it. I’ve decided to apply The Secret or The Law of Attraction or what I call the universal life and spiritual principles to the game of golf and to the game of life…and I want you to know that it works. I’m inviting you to trust in the process and let it be. I’m inviting you to get back into the game as it really is designed to be by following your bliss.
I’m inviting you to focus upon what you prefer, focus upon what you want, focus upon the solution, focus upon your dreams and desires…set a powerful intention upon what you want and you’ll gravitate toward the new and exciting picture you are painting. And if your dreams don’t scare you, then they’re not big enough!
I’m inviting you to shift your thinking upon what feels good as you dream, as you set the intention, as you hold the vision of what you want. Are you living your dream and filled with joy along The Fairway of Life? If not, then shift your thinking and align with the Well-Being…simple allow it in. Ultimate success is absolutely the amount of joy that you feel.
· Getting angry – shift your attention to gratitude and it’s a beautiful day
· Frustrated – shift your attention to allowing the Well-Being in
· Fearful – shift your attention by acknowledging it then back to the present
· Thinking you can’t – shift your attention to visualizing upon what you want
In life as in golf, we are either allowing the Well-Being in or we are resisting it. Our work becomes removing the obstacles that lie in the way. “Removing the clouds does not cause the sun to shine, it merely reveals what was hidden all along,” Dr. David R. Hawkins. There is no way to The Zone…The Zone is the way. The Zone is our natural way to be…it is always flowing to and through us.
Divine Feelings in 2009 - Part I
Okay, so you’ve got your vision or New Years golf resolution picture clearly painted in your minds eye, and you’ve declared out loud in front of others what you truly desire to be as a golfer this coming year; a lower handicap, more free to express yourself, break 90 on a consistent basis, a better putter, or world’s #1. You have haven’t you? Declaring out loud in front of another sets this whole process (commitment) of Providence (divine inspiration) into motion. Without a direction we become like the ship without a rudder. Reflect upon the wisdom of Albert Einstein, “Imagine your ideal future. Your imagination is your preview to life’s coming attractions.” You will become what you think about. You will gravitate towards the desire of your highest ambition. The mystery is solved when you decide to choose these things rather than waiting to someday discover them by chance. Remember the ending of this quote largely attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “…Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Kenny Perry, a PGA Tour veteran even surprised himself with doing some goal setting in 2008 by achieving his goal of being on the Ryder Cup team, saying something to the affect (paraphrasing), ‘Perhaps there is something here, something more to take a look at…’ Yes Kenny, you achieved because you put your mind and commitment upon this intention and believed it to be so. What’s new for 2009?
You see this first step is what keeps so many stuck in the same comfort zone rut year after year. While this concept seems so simple most golfers have no idea where they are going with their golf game, yet alone where they are going in life and the evolution and agenda of their soul. Most golfers think struggle and hard work on the range and body position is the key to a good golf game. I agree that practice and range work is part of this process, however I would replace the concept of struggle with allowing it to be. I also invite my students to first set an intention or a New Years golf resolution first. For a current review of creating a New Years golf resolution please read my last blog dated 12/30/08 to get yourself up to speed with this vital first step…then you will begin your journey by taking action and life will unfold as easily and as logically as Spock might say, ‘My calculations tell me that if you just take the next logical step you will 100% achieve the results you desire.’ All life is asking and all you are asking of yourself is just taking the next logical step. And when we do this we naturally allow the process to unfold in perfect timing. This is The Secret of the universe. It’s called The Law of Attraction – that which is likened unto it self is drawn. We Become What We Think.
The Secret (or the answer and wisdom) lies within you. It is the alignment with who you really are. It is the connection with Source Energy that allows the flow of Well-Being. It is this alignment and connection that is sought after by all. It is these expressions of alignment of Well-Being and this connection with life that we all desire to experience. It is the key to our peace, happiness, and joy within. Success is actually the amount of joy that we feel. What is it that you wish to be and feel? What state of beingness most inspires you? Go straight into being and feeling that both in life and on the golf course.
Another way to describe this alignment and connection is what are these feelings or expressions do you most desire to align with? What divine feeling do you want to explore or align with this coming year? What is the feeling, the frequency, or vibration? What is this energy that most resonates within your soul? Please take a moment to reflect and journal about this energy and this feeling.
What is this feeling? How will this feeling serve to make the dream (your dream) of the sacred universe come true? How does this feeling serve the greater whole?
* Help those around you?
* Heal your own heart?
* Make me a better me?
* Stretch beyond your comfort zone? Take risks? Color outside the box?
* Play golf & life like it is meant to be – for FUN!
* Step into the calling and next highest demonstration of your soul?
* Listen to the agenda of your soul. What the soul is after is the highest expression of who you really are. Feelings are the language of the soul. What is this feeling?
* How will this or these feeling(s) allow you to recreate yourself anew? And…
* “Become the grandest version of the greatest vision ever you have held about who you really are,” Neale Donald Walsch?
We all have these feelings, these levels of consciousness and connection with All That Is, this vibrational energy when we align with the frequency that resonates within our soul right inside us all the time. You see frustration and anxiety comes from not listening to one’s soul. Our job, therefore, is to align with our higher Self and these divine feelings and activate them. Think of it as a wake up call. Many of us have been going through life in a slumber sleep walk being tossed and reacting to life here and there as it unfolds as if it is by default, now I am asking you and reminding you to simply wake up again and choose to create intentionally. Wake up to the highest most divine expression of who you really are. Your soul has brought you to what you are being right now. Jesus described it this way, “Once I was lost and now I am found.” What is the divine feeling of being found?
…Stay tuned for the second half of this story
New Years Golf Resolution
On February 19, 2005 at 10:45 a.m. in the dead nuts of winter in Northern Michigan I announced my intention out loud to my friend Chris Shepler, “I’m gonna drop my handicap down to a 5 or less by July 4th.” I must have been leading up to this declaration having just come off yet another disappointing season barely breaking 80 only but a few times all year and seeing my handicap rise to over a 10 in both official and league play.
Now at the time I had no idea what this meant or if I could even achieve such a lofty goal. However, that’s the magic formula. That’s part of The Secret, which is the Law of Attraction. You must be willing to make a commitment in order to evolve into the direction of your dreams and desires. Although my personal guinea pig experiment did have a happy ending even though I endured a few set backs, some ridicule, plenty of growth experiences to work through (in golf we call these demons), and several feelings of just not knowing what might happen along my journey. Not only did I observe and witness my handicap drop from a 10 to a 7 to a 5 then to a 4.3, I also set a new intention in July, “I’m gonna drop my handicap to a 2 or less by the end of the summer.” I put into practice all that I have come to understand through applying the life principles to the game of golf. Providence moved to me and through me.
I ended the 2005 golf season as a 1.2 handicap golfer. I’m living my dream having played the best golf of my life for the last four years. As a soon to be 50-year old my handicap has fluctuated between a .7 and a 2.4 ever since. I also want you to know that my average handicap during my prime hovered around a six.
Why did all of this unfold like it did? It’s because I decided to make a bold commitment and set an outrageous intention – first! I decided to make a commitment and play full out – that’s what my life coaching has really taught and reminded me about – being a powerful creator in this amazing process or game of life. I invite you to do something similar and unique to your own game and life. Become a better or more authentic person on the inside, a better putter, better short game player, better at handling your emotions, have more fun, lower your handicap, or be more free to fully express yourself. Learn to play golf with eager anticipation and to your full potential.
The hows will eventually show themselves once you make a commitment. Providence will move through you. First, set a powerful intention or New Years golf resolution. Call it whatever you want. Plan your next move of becoming this dream with audacity and execute with vigor in your gitty up. Audacity in its purest form is extreme boldness, recklessly brave with a fearlessly one-minded focus. Vigor is a form of intense healthy growth while thriving to be your absolute best. This is the kind of outrageous enthusiasm involving mental toughness, physical well-being, and spiritual energy that inspires us to become that which we desire to be when one chooses their definiteness of purpose.
Am I out of the woods? Am I always playing with my A game, certainly not! Yet I am extremely grateful to be where I am. In the big picture of life on and off the golf course; life now becomes such an awe-inspiring and amazing adventure. It’s a journey I have now come to call The Fairway of Life.
Remember: Fortune Favors the Bold. Plan your next move with audacity and vigor right now. Why wait a second longer…go ahead and post your intention and tell another. I’ll help guide you into becoming the next grandest version of the greatest vision ever you held about who you really are. Tune in for the free teleconference winter / spring 2009 Mental Edge Coaching session coming soon. Sign up to receive the free newsletter with other gifts. Invite your friends. 2009 is going to be the best golf year ever!
Be Intent – Be As You Wish To Seem
The law of attraction states that which is likened unto it self is drawn. Thoughts create things and thoughts create swings. We become what we think. Intentions are a form of focused thought, similar to a goal, a desire from within, or having a dream. To be intent is to set your intention upon your desire where you literally drown out any other reverberation to the contrary. My friend Melissa from New Zealand and friends have created an entire program called beintent.com focusing on inspiring and drawing out your gifts that lie within.
In the words of Socrates, this means to “be as you wish to seem.” Think about it. Simply be as you wish to seem is such a simple, yet enlightening understanding. The same goes for everything else in our life. Mahatma Gandhi declared that we must be the change we wish to see in the world. To be as you wish to seem comes from a calling deep within your soul…it is your hearts desire and this desire if strong enough will over-ride any other vibration or belief you may have – and most of us carry with us a limited belief system based upon following the ways of the world. Most of us have given up on our dreams and neglected this key inspiration that springs forth from our desire. The real key or secret is to break free from this limited based thinking, get back on your true path, listen to the whisper of your soul, and be your hearts desires – as you wish to seem and act as if it was so.
When we are being as we wish to seem we gravitate toward the picture we are painting in our minds eye. This is what Tiger Woods dreamt about long before he eventually became the world’s #1 golfer. Be as you wish to seem and act as if it is so. Then one day you wake up living your dream. And whenever you are not being as you wish to seem, stop, catch yourself, find relief, and reach for the best feeling thought you can. Tiger refuses to give in to any fear either real or imagined that is out of alignment with his thinking of who he choses to be and become. Tiger knows there is only Well-Being flowing to him and through him. He’s free to fully express himself to his full potential. Isn’t that what we all want - freedom to fully express ourselves to our full potential. You tell me what you want and I’ll show you how to get it! The answer: One by one we let go of all the resistances, obstacles, or illusions we’ve allowed to run our subconscious mind. “Removing the clouds does not cause the sun to shine, but merely reveals that which was hidden all along,” Dr. David R. Hawkins. You see The Zone is like the sun, always flowing.
What kind of golfer do you desire to be? What kind of a person do you desire to be? Go straight into being that. Neale Donald Walsch talks about this be, do, have principle in his Conversations with God books and international speaking engagements. The Be-Do-Have Paradigm is another universal and spiritual law of creation. Most people get it backwards; they think that when they finally have this, then they will be able to do that, and then they can be this. In his book, Conversations with God, Book 3, Neale Donald Walsch discusses this principle with greater clarity. And you can substitute your own descriptions as they relate to your life on and off the golf course. I use Neale’s template and add golf specific examples to it. I find this very interesting as all of life operates the same way.
Most people believe if they have a thing (more time, more money, more love, a better golf game), then they can finally do a thing (write a book, go on vacation, buy a home, take up a hobby, undertake a relationship, really play better golf), which will allow them to be a thing (happy, peaceful, content, in love, or a calm, confident golfer).
In actuality, they are reversing the Be-Do-Have Paradigm. In the universe as it really is (as opposed to how you think it is), “havingness” does not produce “beingness,” but the other way around. First you “be” a thing called “happy” (or “knowing,” or “wise,” or “compassionate,” “calm,” “clear,” or whatever), then you start “doing” things from this place of beingness—and soon you discover that what you are doing winds up bringing you the things you’ve always wanted to “have.”
The way to set this creative process (and that’s what this is . . . the process of creation) into motion is to look at what it is you want to “have,” ask yourself what you think you would “be” if you “had” that, then go right straight to being. In this way you reverse the way you’ve been using the Be-Do-Have Paradigm—in actuality, set it right—and work with, rather than against, the creative power of the universe. Here is the short way of stating this principle: In life, you do not have to do anything. It is all a question of what you are being.
As in golf, so in life it is a matter of what you are being. Your state of beingness sets the stage for what you are doing, what you will have, and for how you will play. Your state of being (focused, clear, creative, artistic, poetic, confident, relaxed, calm, present, machine-like) produces your doing (your takeaway, back swing, rhythm, tempo, lag, whip, strike, follow through) which allows you to have (scoring, enjoyment, fun, prize money). It is the order of life’s paradigm that matters. You are a human being first. So stop trying to find the right and perfect thing to do and start creating the right and perfect thing to be. Be your most inspired state of being on the golf course and allow yourself to do it. Then you will be having fun and the results, scoring, or prize money will take care of itself.
Be as you wish to seem, be your hearts desire, and listen to your feelings, which is the language of your soul. You are brilliant and magnificent, worthy and loved, and if you do not know that, then that’s the problem and it’s high time you get back in the game focusing on the solution. You can be, do, or have whatever your heart desires.
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