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Success
or Disappointment?
If you want to have more
success in golf, it is important to inoculate your mind to be free
of disappointment. Webster defines disappoint as "to fail to
meet the expectation or hope of."
Since it is impossible
to hit a good shot every time and golf courses are designed to challenge
even the best golfers, how does a golfer keep from becoming disappointed
without lowering his or her expectations?
It is done by changing
your mind-set and type of goals. The vast majority of golfers judge
themselves by the scores they shoot. How often do you play a round
of golf and feel totally satisfied that you shot the lowest score
possible that day for your level of play?
More than likely, you
probably felt you could have shot a lower score if only your putt
didn't lip out or hit a spike mark, the wind didn't cause your ball
to land in the bunker or the water, your perfect shot down the middle
of the fairway didn't land in a divot, et cetera. So you went home
disappointed because your score didn't reflect what could have been.
What is even worse is
that you were disappointed with some of your shots and putts during
that round. We all know that we play at our best when we feel good
about ourselves. The only way to get out of the trap of trying to
play well when you are disappointed is to change your outcome goal
of scoring and become totally process oriented.
An excellent definition
of success is "the progressive realization of a worth while
goal". If your goal is to learn and improve from the feedback
you receive each time you hit, chip or putt the ball, you can eliminate
the concept of disappointment from your mind-set.
Let's narrow our discussion
and focus solely on your attitude after each shot you take during
a round of golf. I'll make a friendly wager that after a good shot,
you tend to feel good and after a bad shot, you tend to feel bad.
I'll make another friendly wager that when you make a good shot
and feel good, your chances of making another good shot are higher
than when you feel bad about yourself or your last shot. Do I have
any takers on these bets?
Now, let me ask you another
question. Is it easier to control the outcome every time you step
up to the ball or to control your attitude before and after each
golf shot you take? The obvious answer is that it should be easier
to control your attitude since it is impossible for even Tiger Woods
to make all of his shots.
Since a good attitude
increases the probability of making good shots, the logical conclusion
is that it is much more productive to focus on the process of always
maintaining a good attitude than to focus on the outcome of your
shots, which you cannot control.
If you take two golfers
of equal talent, I'll make you another friendly wager that the one
who has and maintains the better attitude will win many more times
than he will lose to the other golfer who allows himself to be disappointed
by his outcomes.
Now, I'll make one last
wager with you. No matter what your talent level is, if you train
your mind to focus on improving your attitude no matter what happens
when you hit the ball, your scores will fall and you will not be
disappointed.
If you have not
read "The Mental Keys To Improve Your Golf", you will benefit greatly
from my book by seeing the whole picture instead of just pieces
contained in my mental tips.
I guarantee it! So
order now and lower your score.
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