Control Outside
Influences
Using Your Mind
One
of
the
most
powerful
abilities
of
your
mind
is
that
it
can
actually bend
reality so
that
you
can
overcome
problems
both on
the
day,
and
also
over
the
long-term.
I once heard a true story about a group who became trapped
inside a cave whose entrance became sealed by a landslide.
Only one person had a watch on, and so to stop the others worrying
about how long they had before their oxygen ran out, every
TWO hours he announced to the group that ONE hour had passed.
This made the others feel that time was going slowly,
and that they actually had more air left in the cave than
they really did!
They were eventually rescued - and had all survived, except for one, the owner
of the watch who knew the real time!
This shows how we have the ability to bend our reality to
suit us better.
Believe it or not, we can use this ability every day on the golf course - instead
of viewing some problems as insurmountable, we cancreate a new reality for
ourselves, which allows us to mentally cope with these situations better,
plus hit better shots in those situations. Here's a few situations where you
can use this method, and you will be able to create countless others of your
own.
For instance, one of the things we need to eradicate on the golf course is
the emotion of disappointment. This emotion, if left unchecked,
can create havoc with the remainder of your round.
For
instance,
if you
chip
onto
the green,
only
to find
that
it rolls
way past
the pin
and leaving
you with
a 20
or 30
foot
putt
- often
this
result
can cause
emotions
of annoyance
and disappointment,
which
sometimes
creates
a chain
reaction of
a 2,
3 or
even
4-putt
situation
to finish
the hole!
This
is because
the expected result
(or maybe
even
the hope!) was
that
the shot
would
finish
near
the hole,
and so
anything less is
regarded
as unsatisfactory
and disappointing. This
is a
classic
situation
where
we can
bend
reality
a little
- for
instance,
you could
(instead)
imagine
to yourself
that
this could have
been
an impossible
50 foot
putt,
but now
it is only a
20 footer
- and
reminding
yourself
that
this is within
the realms
of reality
that
you can
make
this
shot.
So
what's
the difference
between
these
two mindsets
when
hitting
this
particular
shot?
The difference
is that
one is
hit with negative
emotion, and
the other
is hit
with positive
emotion
- and
believe
me, the
results
finish
very, very differently! Basically
this
means
that
you are
instead turning
every
situation
around
to suit
yourself, using
an attitude
of optimism (because
remember
that
we don't
get what
we deserve,
we get
what
we expect).
Bending
reality
can
be
done
in
thousands
of
different
ways
on
the
golf
course -
so
this
means
that from
now
on (as
far
as
your
mind
is
concerned), you
can
make
every
situation suit
you
perfectly -
regardless
of
your
lie! Be
creative
and
practice
coming
up
with
new
ways
of
making
the
situation suit you
each
and
every
time
- you
will
notice
the
difference
in
your
results.
For
instance,
using
this
new mindset
during
your
play
(as opposed
to some
classic negative reactions
you often
see to
these
situations!),
you might
find
yourself
thinking
some
totally
new thoughts,
such
as:
"Great,
there's only 6
people
at the
first
tee -
not 20
- so
I can
relax
and go
for my
shot!".
Or "this water in front of me is my friend, I don't have to worry
about it or focus upon it, it won't bother me anymore". Or "I have extra power
today, I'm going to be able to make the green in one today".
Now,
let me
get make
this
point
very
plain: this
will
never guarantee that
you will
hit a
good
shot
- but
it will ensure
you are
giving
yourself
the best
possible
chance
- and
that
is exactly
what
you want.
Of
course,
all this
philosophy
will
simplygo
out the
window if,
when
you occasionally
(still)
get a
bad result,
you then
fly off
the handle
into
a fit
of anger!
Remember,
if you don't get
what
you want,
go into damage
control,
and move
on.
Remaining calm
and
in
control is
just
a
matter
of bending
your
reality to
suit
yourself,
until
eventually,
you
may
even
feel
as
if
you
simply cannot
go
wrong. This
technique
can
also
be
employed
into
your
regular
visualization
to
overcome long-term problems.
Some
golfers
are very
sceptical
about
trying
these
unusual
methods
initially,
only
to be
very
surprised
at the
huge
difference
in their
results
- and this
is one
of those
techniques.
Never
be afraid
to try
something
new,
it might
make
all the
difference!
