There’s a lot changing right now. Faster than ever.
You feel it. I feel it. We all do.
Everywhere we look, technology is transforming the way we live, work, and think. Artificial intelligence isn’t just a buzzword anymore—it’s the elephant in the room. It’s writing emails, analyzing data, creating art, making decisions, changing jobs, and even shaping human connection.
We’re watching a new world unfold in real time. It’s exciting, uncomfortable, and also completely out of our control. And that’s where the tension lives:
How do we stay grounded when the world moves faster than our ability to fully understand it?
The Fork in the Road: Am I the Pilot or Passenger?
I caught myself recently scrolling through the news, overwhelmed by all the headlines about Ai and automation. New tools. New rules. The pace of change feels relentless. And in that moment, I noticed something in myself—
I had slipped into a passenger mindset.
I wasn’t driving change.
I was reacting to it, complaining about it… resisting it.
It’s easy to do, right?
The passenger mindset is a bystander watching, pointing fingers, and blaming.
On the other hand, the pilot mindset accepts, adapts, and steers.
In golf, this shows up every round. Conditions change—wind, weather, course setup. Your swing might feel off. Your body might be tight.
You have two choices:
Play the victim or take the wheel.
I've worked with golfers who panic when change shows up. They expect a perfect day. And when things shift, they collapse mentally.
But the great ones? They adjust. They expect the unexpected.
They embrace it. They’re pilots of their game and their life.
Vulnerability Is the Entry Point
Choosing to be the pilot is easier said than done.
It means letting go of certainty.
It means being open to learning, failing, adapting, and evolving.
In one word… it’s vulnerable.
Trying a new pre-shot routine.
Letting go of technical swing thoughts.
Trusting your feel and instinct when you've been told to trust the numbers.
Being the pilot doesn’t mean you always know what to do. It means you decide to engage. You choose action over apathy. You own your mindset, even when you can’t control the outcome.
Last thoughts…
In this moment of rapid change, we can’t afford to stay in the passenger seat.
Yes, AI will change the way we coach, teach, train, communicate, and compete. It already has.
But we still have one edge no machine will ever touch— Our mindset.
How we think.
How we choose to respond.
How we lead ourselves and others through uncertainty.
This is what golf trains us to do, and this is why the mental game matters.
When you stand over a shot with doubt in your head, you have a choice.
When your tournament doesn’t go as planned, you have a choice.
When the world shifts faster than you can grasp, you still have a choice.
You can sit back and hope it slows down.
Or you can grab the controls and fly your plane.
Ask yourself this question now: Are you the passenger of your life or the pilot?
What would change if you stepped up, took a breath, and said:
"I’m ready to fly this thing—even if I don’t have the whole flight plan."
This is the pilot’s mindset.
Let’s train it.
Let’s live it.
Let’s play like it.
Your Mental Coach,
Dr. Mat