SHOW US AN ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY DOING. TELL US HOW YOU THINK IT CONTRIBUTES TO YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ALI DAWARIE BUSINESS SCHOOL APPLICANT

There are many things in life that will catch your eye but only a few will catch your heart, pursue those.

Playing golf is nerve racking, slow and frustrating, and yet it has caught my heart more so than any other sport I have played; and I have played it all.

I have been playing golf since I was 17 years old; it has taught me much about grip, swing and putt, but golf has taught me more about myself: my character and has been a shaping force throughout the past 10 years.

Persistence/ Patience They say change favors those who persist; persistence is a direct causation of determination.

Golf has taught me to be patient with life: my actions and plans, not by forcing radical changes but by making small corrective tweaks so that the body marries the adjustment and makes it a permanent part of the body.

Not giving up in pursuit of my goal is arguably the most important quality that golf has instilled in me.

Mental toughness/ Discipline Golf forces me to bring my mind game to a whole new level, making me embrace my bad shots and forcing me to stick to my golf plan in believing that my swing will correct itself as I practice it more.

Golf has taught me to be mentally strong and to have self belief beyond anything else. It has taught me to commit to a plan, discipline myself to follow through and believe that it will materialize.

Awareness/ Acceptance Golf taught me to be aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and accept the consequences of my actions, be it a poorly played or a poorly considered shot. It has also taught me to move on, and think about how I will recover from the slump.

Professionally and personally, this has translated to me being aware of the different aspects of my life that are under my control and those that are not; accepting the situation for what it is, so I can get to “what am I going to do about it”.

Humility/ Respect Golf as a sport teaches and requires all its players to show courtesy to others and to communicate with respect.

Good sportsmanship must be exhibited at all times and that all play is ended with an exchange of a hand shake.

It has taught me to respect everyone’s view I work with: my under-links, peers and superiors alike, especially if their view different. We learn more from people who see things differently than we do from like minded people.

Focus Golf is not the easiest sport around. It requires intense mental and emotional concentration. Sometimes, I have had to silence my inner critic after a "bad shot" to regain focus, which is an advanced skill to learn but one that has rewarded me well in game and life.

My life is far from perfect, but when I am assigned to a particular task, that is all I am going to be looking at, thinking of and working on.

Networking- business & pleasure Golf is a game that involves a lot of downtime so it affords plenty of opportunity for quality conversation. Be it playing a 9-hole course, hitting the range standing between fellow golf enthusiasts, or catching a drink after the game at the club house to cool off.

I got an interview for a job through the HR director, who just so happened to be paired with me that fine Friday morning. After two hours of talking to him and playing through the course, he had determined that I would be a good fit at his organization.