- By Coach James Batey

A few ago I was playing golf with a friend, he had played all of his life, week in week out, this was his sport. He was brilliant to watch. 

Then take me, I go a few times a year. Maybe. I can swing a golf club, sometimes the ball goes straight, most of the time nowhere near where I want it to go. 

I never take my driver out of the bag because I am sure it is broken - it never goes straight.

Anyway one day we were playing and I started fairly well, I honestly thought about quitting my job and joining the PGA tour. 

About the 6th hole, my luck started to dry up. I started to hit balls in the rough, the water. I lost 6 balls on the same hole during this course, all in the water. 

My ball was a fucking homing beacon for puddles. I am pretty sure at one point, I hit the ball so wrong it went behind me. I didn't shout 'Four' (the shout you use when your ball goes off the course to warn other golfers) because I felt if it hit someone then they would be in as much pain as I was that day. 

I started to get pissed off and a little angry, he was laughing and the next words to come out of his mouth changed everything.

'James, relax mate. You're not good enough to get angry' 

In that moment I thought, fuck me he is right. Why do I deserve to be good at golf from maybe playing 2 or 3 times a year at best. 

If anything I was probably discrediting him and all the hard work he has put in other the years. Why do I deserve to be able to compete with him? Why do I deserve to be able to hit the ball straight and my putting be amazing? 

The amazing thing was, he still miss-hit shots in the rough, but he didn't bat an eyelid. He just knew what to do from here. 

This got me thinking, about nutrition (obviously).

How many of us start a new diet to only go off track a little, think 'Fuck this' what's the point and stress about it?

Yet people who understand food and nutrition go 'off track' and don't even give it another thought, they just make their next meal better. 

You see when you are starting a new diet the aim should always be to educate yourself and look at your behaviours. You are going to make mistakes and plenty of them. This is all part of the process. It's your reaction to the 'mistake' which is where the breakthrough happens. 

The people who have taken the time to learn will always cope a lot better when these situations happen. They have earned the right to deal with the situations better. 

People who bounce from diet to diet, 6-week challenge to 6-week challenge will always find a lot more stress due to the restrictive nature they are taught. These people have not earned the right because they haven't taken the time to educate themselves. 

Only looking for the quick fix and instant gratification. 

It is not your fault you are bad at understanding nutrition, that is sadly the world we live in now but there are people out there willing and wanting to help you. 

If I wanted to get better at golf, I should probably go and see a golf pro and get coaching.

 I could try and learn for myself, but I would have to spend a lot of time clearing through the bullshit that is the internet to find great coaches, eventually, I may get better. 

You see I play golf for fun and if that is the case I can not fail golf. As you can not fail food, it is just-food but we can certainly improve. 

We need to learn to enjoy the process of trying to become better, get in better shape, lift heavier weights, learn a new skill, play a new sport. 

Without enjoyment, there is no point in trying to excel at anything. 

I was teaching the snatch (the most technical lift that has ever been put into the realm of mankind), to a bunch of my members for the first time. We were doing stage 1 of 10,0000645 in teaching the snatch and people were getting annoyed. 

So I broke out this story. We laughed, then cried and now we are enjoying the process. 

Earn the right to be better. 

In James We Trust