I was on the golf course the other day, playing with a know-it-all.

It’s an individual sport. It’s not really the wind or the club or the ball.

I play Pickleball regularly with random players, PB is a partner sport. So, it’s a little about you and a little about them and then there are opponents.

There is an NSQ episode on internal and external locus control, (are you in control of your life, or is your life in control of you?) Are you thoughtful and then deliberate ? The best part of NSQ is that the moderators are published, thoughtful and trained. So their validity is quite high. It can be a little gray, but internal is superior to external by all socioeconomic measures.

There is a HT on this – If you’re a thinking person, this is rather obvious. (In HT land we are a bit judgmental, or should I say arrogant.) If you are a guttural person, you mostly operate with an external locus, “if only”, “why do these people or things happen to me”. etc …

The correlations from every meeting I have had, from the people I know personally and professionally, to my own friends and family, to all the people that I interact with on a course or on a court, it seems self evident that internal thinkers are simply more balanced and successful at all endeavors.

However, ….. (as I am one, who talks out of both sides of his mouth 🙂

It is quit true / accurate that one can drink too much of their own koolaide, and then drown in it. When you stop believing in others opinions, or skill level, or you opt not to help or understand, you become a little too arrogant, not only for yourself, but others begin to distrust or even like you. Yikes.

I like the mirror technique. Hold a mirror to the situation, do you like what you see or could you be better. Hang on for this, I said BE better, which sometimes leads to doing better, but no guarantees.

Golf is solitary, PB is partner, BB is team. Playing sports with most external know-it-alls is exhausting.

Ready for some gray, institutionalism, racism, sexism etc … or in a golf terms, the course is loaded with sand traps and a brook that runs through the middle, the court has some cracks or no wind screen, the basket ball court has dead spots an no nets on the rim.

Howard Theories always say “Consider the hidden unknowns, the “Institutionalized” or inherent problems. Then simply be wise. Chase wisdom. It’s so much easier.

Have fun, the game is short.