December 2016 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
The Power Within - Becoming A
Professional Bowler
by Frank Weiler
The most important ingredient for success in any en-
deavor is the power within. Success depends on YOU
harnessing your inner strength and applying proven
principles necessary for success. These principles
apply to every endeavor in life including bowl-
ing. Anyone wishing to become a better bowler, includ-
ing all YOUNG BOWLERS wishing to become profes-
sional bowlers, should read on and apply the following
principles.
CHARACTER and INTEGRITY. First and more im-
portant than anything else, character and integrity are a
must. Professionalism demands YOU stand for some-
thing. Personal standards are a must because "YOU
WILL RISE TO THE STANDARDS YOU SET FOR
YOURSELF". Doing what's right is just as important as
winning.
Anyone pursuing a career in bowling, particularly
those wishing to become professional bowlers, should
realize that the cornerstone of all personal and profes-
sional relationships is TRUST. To gain the support of
others YOU must earn their trust. Trust is earned
slowly and the process begins as others observe your
words and actions. Your words and actions are
you. You are your words and actions
People notice when you always strive to do what's
right. They notice when you are honest, dependable,
consistent, fair and respectful. They notice and will
respect and trust you. Trust is a must. When people
trust you, they will work with you, help you and support
you. You will need the help of others if you're to suc-
ceed. Best of all, right minded people are happy peo-
ple and do better at getting along with themselves.
KNOW WHERE YOUR'RE GOING. Millions of peo-
ple never accomplish anything significant and never
reach any special destination in life because they don't
know where they're trying to go. If you don't have a
destination how are you going to get there? If you
don't have a destination for your career, for your life,
how are you going to head in the right direction? How
are you going to make plans?
Several decades ago a long term study was con-
ducted by a very prestigious university in Bos-
ton. Graduates were polled and it was found that only
three per cent had any clear goals for their fu-
ture. Twenty years later it was found that the three per
cent of graduates with clearly defined goals accom-
plished more and made more money than the other
ninety-seven per cent combined. Goals and plans are
important.
If you are to be successful you have to set goals. You
need short term and long term goals. You need to
know where you want to be in one year, five years and
ten years from now. Don't worry about changing cir-
cumstances. There is nothing wrong with making
changes to your goals as you go. Be flexible. The
important thing is to think about where you're going and
start planning on how you're going to get there.
The best plan is a written plan. Write down your
goals, your plan for achieving those goals and the time
frame in which to achieve them. Think about your
goals everyday and act on your plan.
One more thing about goals and plans. Don't be
afraid to DREAM. You need to have dreams. The
bigger your dreams the better. Goals come from
dreams. You are never too old to dream and the first
step to success is setting your heart on achieving your
dreams.
TOTAL COMMITMENT. You have goals, you have a
plan. So what's next? Now you have to act. You have
to change from being a dreamer to being a doer. You
have to change from someone dreaming of becoming a
professional bowler to someone committed and work-
ing at becoming a professional bowler. That means
bowling, bowling and more bowling.
Most people never totally commit to a single pur-
suit. They spend their time dabbling in numerous ac-
tivities and never achieve excellence in any one activ-
ity. Most successful people focus on one pursuit and
dedicate all their energy and efforts to the success of
that pursuit.
How did Earl Anthony, Don Carter and Norm Duke
become PBA Champions and Hall of Famers? Total
commitment to working hard at becoming better bowl-
ers. Anthony, Carter and Duke were known to practice
sixty or more hours a week. Norm Duke's mother told
me that when Norm was a boy she couldn't get him off
the lanes. Norm would practice everyday after
school. He would bowl for hours even while his bowl-
ing hand was bleeding. As a boy, Norm had a goal to
beat Earl Anthony and win a PBA Champion-
ship. Years later he became the youngest PBA Cham-
pion ever, beating Earl Anthony on national television.
There is no fast and easy road to success. Every
achievement has a price tag - HARD WORK. Bowling
once a week in your local youth league is not
enough. You have to bowl after school as many days
a week as possible.
The benefits of hard work are many. From my experi-
ence, "THE HARDEST WORKING BOWLERS ARE
THE LUCKIEST". Other benefits include a boost in
enthusiasm, increased consistency, greater confidence
and improved stamina.
FUN, DESIRE and ATTITUDE. If you're going to
commit to bowling be sure you love the sport. Be sure
bowling is fun. Bowling can be humbling and there will
be more losses than wins. You have to enjoy the
sport, for it's own sake, if you are to commit to those
odds.
If you want to be a professional bowler for fame and
fortune please reconsider. Unlike most careers, pro-
fessional bowling provides more setbacks than suc-
cesses. Professional bowlers are lucky to win one
PBA Title in a year. Most only win one or two titles in
their career. The best may win ten titles and only a few
win twenty.
Going on the assumption that you have the talent and
skill to be a professional bowler you better have fun
bowling. The minute bowling becomes work is the
minute you will struggle on the lanes.
If you are going to be a professional bowler you better
want to be one more than you want anything
else. That desire will make the hard work fun. That
desire will make a difference between winning or losing
a close match, that desire will help you keep going
when things are not going well.
Success begins with attitude, a positive atti-
tude. Think positive and work on inculcating positive
thoughts. "DON'T LOOK FOR EXCUSES WHEN YOU
BOWL POORLY, LOOK FOR REASONS". When you
identify the reasons for your failures you can find solu-
tions for future successes.
A positive attitude is more than reveling in victory, it
is accepting defeat gracefully and looking for a path to
winning the next game. It is dwelling on what you can
learn from today's setbacks that will lead to advances
tomorrow. It is forgetting what went wrong and remem-
bering what went right.
A positive attitude will give you the confidence
needed to win while a negative attitude will only lead to
finding ways to lose. A positive attitude leads to win-
ning habits while a negative attitude leads to losing
habits. Your Attitude can make a difference between
winning or losing. Finally, when you do lose, a positive
attitude will help you to bounce back.
EXPECTATIONS and FAILURE. You get what you
expect. Muhammad Ali was probably the biggest pro-
ponent of great expectations who ever lived. He al-
ways expected to win and he never kept his expecta-
tions to himself. He shouted loud and clear "I am the
greatest, I am the champion, I am going to
win". Muhammad accomplished what he set out to do
nearly one hundred percent of the time.
Without being boastful you need to expect the best. If
you don't expect the best you won't strive for the best
and you cannot obtain the best. How can you obtain
the best if you don't strive for it.
Don't be afraid to fail. Winners take chances. Every
winner has experienced defeat and learned to pick
himself up and get back into the arena. Don't waste
time and energy worrying about things you have no
control over or events that may or may not happen.
Don't let fear control your game. When you bowl
scared you make mistakes. The best antidote for fear
is preparation. Prepare for every competi-
tion. Preparation for the lane conditions you will be
bowling on, preparation for the transition you expect
and preparation of your equipment you will use are vital
to maintaining your confidence and controlling your
fears.
WINNING. Don't choose a bowling career unless you
plan to win. Winning is a personal choice and YOU
WILL WIN WHEN YOU DECIDE TO WIN.
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Continued on page 8)
