If you are a golfer, you most likely talk to yourself out loud during a round. It may be considered crazy anywhere else but in this arena, it is socially acceptable. There is nothing strange about it; however, you may consider actually listening to what you say to yourself. When I listen to golfers recite a soliloquy after a shot or walking down the fairway, more times than not, it is a subtle form of self-sabotage.
Take it out on your golf ball if you must speak. I would much rather hear a curse word to get the frustration out on a shot then verbally abusing yourself on the course. Not that I am an advocate of bad words but come on, it’s golf and since we can’t go tackle our opponent to get our frustrations out, we tend to use words instead. Just use those words wisely.
You may have heard, "I hate this hole, because I always hit it left into the trees every time " or "When I shoot low on the front nine, I always shoot a high score on the back nine." Often times people call themselves terrible names or words which I choose not to repeat here but you get the idea. What gets me more than anything is when someone hits a good shot and they give everyone 5 reasons why it was dumb luck and they never hit shots like that. It is a negative affirmation repeated over time that will insure the sub-conscious mind and body to repeat what you have trained your mind to think. Just stop it…Stop it now!
Let’s replace the negative talks with positive ones. No I am not telling you to be in denial when you do hit bad shots. Say a bad word or two (without attaching "I am ___") to get it out of your system if you have too, but get over it quickly. Don’t tie a negative story and energy around it. Let it go. Now when you hit a good shot, take it in emotionally, mentally and physically and enjoy it a little longer. Tell yourself how you hit shots like that all the time that it is the golfer you are. I do recommend you say this to yourself because you may end up losing friends and be considered egotistical. That is why I emphasize “inner” confidence. Be good to yourself and overtime your positive self-talk will compound into good feelings and energy which will change your physiology to a relaxed, confident state and result in a better game.
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