The Power is in the Pattern

Did you ever feel really good about an accomplishment – say, a great game of golf or bowling – only to not be able to repeat it?

I will never forget my 12 year old birthday bowling party. My average score at the time was about 140 (out of 300 for those of you who are not bowlers). We bowled two games at the party. My first score was 135 – about what you would expect. My second game – my second game – was a 212! The best score I ever had by 40 pins!

As you might imagine, I wanted to bowl a third game and since it was my birthday party, we did. Any guesses about the score? 138. Much as I was hoping for divine intervention and the magic answer to bowling, my approach, swing, and release had not fundamentally changed. The pattern hadn't changed during my big game. I had just been lucky.

Sound familiar?