CHANGING YOUR STATE OF MIND
Success is merely an accumulation of good days.
New skills can be learned at “any” age with the right training!
One thing I am absolutely certain about, is that weather you are a golf player at the highest level or a beginner, you will only be the best player that you can be when you address the mental side of the game.
Understanding how to use your imagination, understanding concentration, controlling your state of being, the ability to deal with setbacks in the middle of your game, that the game will definitely throw at you are all critical components to training your golf brain.
My goal, is to provide you a couple of tools that are not only applicable but also practical for you to develop your best golf ever.
Perhaps the most important question would sound like this: “What is possible?”
- Write down the hcp you want to be playing this year: ……………………..
- Now the second question: if nothing was holding you back, and you were in perfect shape, and you mastered every piece of your game mentally and technically, what hcp would you DREAM to play?: ……………………….
“DON’T LISTEN TO THE NARRATIVE IN YOUR HEAD”
The story in your head, is always from your past. And I want you to become the best player that you can be. So by answering question 2, forget about all your beliefs that you have been telling to yourself so far. Because what you think is possible, might be far less, than what you really are capable of.
When your hcp target was lower in question 2 than you wrote the correct answer, as you are now ready to become your best golf version ever!
So to understand where possibilities come from, you need to understand a little more who you really are. Why you do what you do, and keep doing it. What is the script you are playing?
If you want to improve your results you will have to change the way you have been playing so far.
The definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” – Albert Einstein
A common thing we tent to see among the golfers is when they start playing the game, they are making fun, and they have fun when practicing. They are so motivated, and are almost playing in an obsessive way. Then the handicap drops, and at a given point, they feel stuck. As a result, less practice, that leads to less confidence, that leads to poor playing, resulting in frustration and after a couple of years you barely see them on the course. How would you, if there is no fun, why would you still play the game you once loved so much?
Fortunately for you, it does not have to come that far, and if it did, it can be changed.
Becoming more aware about your feelings, and the story you make of it, you have the ability to change your outcome. And the first tool we use to change an outcome, is one of the six mental mussels:
Our perception is very strong related to positive and negative. Also very strong related to one of the 11 universal laws, being the law of polarity. Meaning, for every problem you encounter, there is a solution! That’s right, no problem can exist without a solution. So that is great news!
And knowing, that for every problem there is a solution, therefore you “can”change your perception!
Exercise 1:
Stand up, and look to the left: write 30 emotions, feelings you encounter before the game, during the game, in between shots and after the game. Now turn your head to the right, and write down 30 emotions, feelings you encounter before the game, during the game, in between shots and after the game. I can imagine, these are complete different emotions!
So let’s imagine for one moment, the right side is the solution side, and the left side is the problem side. As long as you are looking to the left side, you will remain in the problem zone. Meaning that nothing will change, and more of it will come your way. But when you change your look to the right side, you come in the solution zone.
I can imagine, on every poor shot, missed putt, missed chip, your feelings would vary between irritation to outrageousness,and on every great shot, holed put, made chip, your feelings would vary from hope to fulfilment
Exercise 2:
In the previous exercise you wrote down your emotions going from negative to positive. Now I want you to write, next each emotion, feeling, the shot that made you feel bad or good.
For example:
- Anger: after an out of bounds drive – Frustration: after hitting the ball all over the place
- Happiness: after lowering my score – Joy: after making a long put
After exercise 1 and 2 you have become conscious on what level your state of mind was on each shot you made. We always think, our emotions are a by- product from our circumstances. It seems so normal to think that you feel good on great shots and that we feel bad on poor shots. It looks normal, but it is not natural. When we look closer, it was your internal thought and feeling on that very moment that created the shot. When you are feeling negative, your vibrational frequency is low, and therefore your results, outcome will be poor. When you’re feeling positive, your vibrational frequency is high, and therefore your results, outcome will be much better.
Now that you have realised where your state of mind is on every shot, you can have control on your state of mind.
THOUGHTS + FEELINGS = STATE OF MIND
In the previous illustration, you see how your state of mind affects your results. One can have positive thoughts, but negative feelings. The outcome will always produce poor results, as when your thoughts and feelings are in alignment with each other. How you think and feel will create your experience.
Exercise 3: Changing your perception:
Write down every negative emotion you wrote down in the previous exercise. Now write to each negative emotion the opposite emotion:
For example:
- Anger – Joy
- Despair – Hope
Now that you have done this exercise can you already notice how every negative emotion has a positive emotion. That means that you always have a choice! Looking to the former illustration you can clearly see when you are having negative emotions, your body is telling you that you are in a low vibrational state of mind. Poor shots are heading your way! When you are having positive emotions, your body is telling you that you are in a high vibrational state of mind. Great shots are coming your way! Either the way, the choice is always yours!
Are you going to take the responsibility for your game?
Being aware about our feelings and thoughts we can use our thoughts and feelings as a gps. Where ever we are.
Time to be a great golfer!
The next exercise is a great tool for creating the results you would like the most.
One of the simplest and yet most profound exercises Timothy D. Wilson (psychologist and author of Redirect The surprising New Science of Psychological Change) recommends is what he calls the:
“THE BEST POSSIBLE SELF EXERCISE”
For seven consecutive nights, find a quiet spot and you imagine your life in the future. You then write out in detail the following:
- You imagine everything has turned out really well
- You have worked hard and succeeded in accomplishing your life goals
- You now write out what you have imagined
- Most importantly, you write out “how” you got there
- Not just the final happy ending
You write about HOW you overcame the inevitable obstacles and setbacks and HOW you stuck to your plan.
You write this out in detail and put down the active steps you are going to take to make a change. The people involved and the commitments you will make.
It is very important you give yourself the time to do this in detail. A five minute writing quick burst of ideas will not do the job! This is not just wishful thinking or “being positive”, but “creating” a new story, a new script for your brain to follow. By doing so, you give yourself a three dimensional map of your best possible self in the future. Now your past is no longer your present, but your future becomes your present.
Have fun, learn and don’t forget,