Monday, April 7, 2008

Focus On Golf And Life

Which one of us that plays the wonderful game of Golf hasnt faced a putt with butterflies in their stomach? It is not uncommon to feel the inner doubts as we contemplate feel, direction and speed of the putt. Did you ever stop to think about how the Professionals consistently make those 8 footers? How do they tune out all those negative influences?

It is my opinion that the answer is focus, the same focus that applies to everyday life. It is so hard to concentrate on more than two things at once. Imagine standing over the Golf ball getting ready to execute the shot. What must go through your mind? Am I standing right, is my grip too tight, am I aiming correctly, are my knees bent, what was that Golf tip that I read yesterday?

When I was a young man and just starting to discover Golf, I started as a caddie at a very prestigious Country Club. At first caddying was just a job to me, but as the summer rolled on I learned to appreciate the sport and after trying to hit a Golf ball was in awe at the shots that the good golfers executed. At some of the local tournaments, I was amazed at how the Golfers would focus on every shot.

Golf at the time when I was young was a rich mans sport. I was just a poor kid from the city who lucked out in obtaining my caddy job. My Mom was a waitress and used to serve the Vice President of the bank his lunch every day. When she mentioned that I needed a summer job, he helped me to get the caddy job. I caddied for three years and then joined the Navy.

While I was stationed in Long Beach, California, one of my buddies was a scratch Golfer and he taught me the basics of the game. There was a 9 hole course on the base and I was hooked on Golf. After I was discharged, I started to play as much as I can. I also worked as a volunteer at many tournaments and all this did was to reinforce in my thinking what I learned a long time ago, the importance of focus.

Through the years, I have tried not to flood my mind with random thoughts, but rather focus on the problem at hand. Think clearly, commit yourself to your goal and execute it. Try not to think of too many things at once. This is what I believe the Professionals do.

You dont have to be the best Golfer in the world, but it is very satisfying to train yourself to focus and be the best that you can be.

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Swimming Pools -- 6 Feng Shui Tips to Make them Auspicious

Swimming pools are a wonderful addition to any home. They create an instant place for fun, relaxation, and exercise. Plus, water is extremely beneficial in any landscape. However, in feng shui, swimming pools can often create negative influence. That's because swimming pools possess a great deal of energy in feng shui terms. It is also because swimming pools are often located at the rear of the home, and that is extremely inauspicious according to feng shui.

Even so, there are some instances when pools are a benefit to the homeowner. This would include a pool that is correctly sized, shaped, and positioned. In feng shui, certain pool shapes and sizes can create problems, such as poison arrows, which are harsh points of energy directed at the house.

On the plus side, pools positioned in certain locations can actually benefit homeowners. These are pools that are placed according to flying star feng shui. At their best, pools can be positioned to tap the "wealth star" -- the secret location of prosperity that is tied to the direction of the front door. Another benefit of flying star placement is to overcome negative energies, as pools can offset negative energy from poor star placements.

Look at placing your pool in an auspicious location and follow feng shui's design criteria to make sure your pool gives you great feng shui! Positioned right, swimming pools can add tremendous wealth luck to a home! If not, though, it can be a very negative influence that can harm your wealth. To be sure about your pool, though, consider checking in with a feng shui consultant.

The Top 6 Feng Shui pool Rules

1. Select a shape that is auspicious.
The best shapes for pools are round, oval, kidney, or curving. This is because none of these shapes have any hard edges or points that can create a poison arrow effect that square-shaped pools often do. Other good choices include octagons and figure-eights.

2. Keep your pool size proportional to the size of the home.
Pools are better if they are not overly large. If they are too large for the home, they can "overwhelm" it, imparting much negative energy. Better to go with a smaller pool than one that is too large.

3. Place pools at the sides of the yard.
If possible, it is better to position swimming pools at the side of a yard rather than directly in the rear. If that can't be accommodated, then do try to avoid having a pool that is directly in line with the rear center of the house. Pools that do can become menacing, as water behind you is considered bad feng shui.

4. Pools that embrace a home bring good luck.
These pools appear to wrap around a home or curve toward the home. These are a good design choice as they don't have hard edges pointing at the house.

5. Locate pools in a favorable sector for feng shui periods 8 and 9.
Until 2043, pools should ideally be located in the North, Southwest, East, or Southeast sectors.

6. Incorporate the five elements around your pool.
Pools should be mixed with the other elements, such as metal (handrailings, pumps, electrical equipment), wood (plants, arbors, gazebos), earth (rock, cement surroundings or deckings), and fire (lighting). This helps to ensure that the pool is well-balanced and harmoniously incorporated into the landscape.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter feng shui e-zine and the ebook APPLIED FENG SHUI, The Science of Determining and Applying Authentic Feng Shui to Your Space In 9 Easy Steps. For more information, logon to http://www.redlotusletter.com and receive this special report "16 Feng Shui Secrets for Greater Prosperity" FREE.

kweber@redlotusconsulting.com

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