Quote of the Week...from Gary Player

The more I practice the luckier I get.                                   ---Gary Player

Gary Player was a great golfer during the Arnold Palmer/Jack Nicklaus era of the sixties and seventies when I grew up, and at his prime he was at the top of the game. I picked his above quote because it capsulizes what seems to be the case with any challenging project or endeavor: the more diligently and consistently you work at getting better, then the more scenarios and results will seem to mysteriously materialize as if by "luck".  I think this is partially because of how the brain learns new things and develops its complex neural networks behind the scenes...it certainly applies to language learning as well.  Player also made another quote: "Golf is a puzzle without an answer.  I've played the game for 40 years and I still haven't the slightest idea how to play." At first read that seems strange coming from such a celebrated player in this sport. But although Gary Player is known for his humor and modesty, here I think he's referring to his conscious approach to the game, while so much he takes for granted unconsciously, after all those years of practice and experience, he doesn't have to think about...but you or I would. Still, the bottom line is that no matter how much others might tell you that you've "arrived" in a personal endeavor, there's usually much more beyond that embedded in mystery and wonder.  Maybe that's why I like learning so much...