In his piece on Friday, Ben shared our recent experience trying to embody the word ‘open’ while practicing golf.  As Ben reported, the results were often spectacular.  He hit some 7 irons that were truly special.

What we really experienced that afternoon was the harmonizing of thought, action and energy.  When these three things come together, the flow that is realized often leads to amazing results.

Inversely, when we try to substitute other words into the combination, often the flow gets interrupted because one of the three elements are misaligned.  For example, a couple of years ago I was trying to use the word Center to realize flow within my golf swing.  The results were quite disastrous.  The word actually has too many thought-evoking meanings to me, and I couldn’t find harmony within the motion.

Moving forward, I will be hesitant to explore other words in relation to my golf swing.  I cannot imagine finding that same level of flow that I experienced last Wednesday with other golf-related terms.  If the word ‘open’ is the key to unlock the potential in my golf swing, I want to harness and completely encapsulate the benefits before exploring other possibilities.

Having said that, the exploration of other words can prove invaluable for our students.  You never know what word, thought, or idea will help a student find flow.  Besides, creating a list is a great exercise in feeling the energy associated with words we often use.

Over the next few weeks, I will explore the relationship between the words we choose to use and the energy and emotions that they evoke in our audience.