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CLICK HERE to read more
about Rick Semple.
When it came to affirmations, I used to be a skeptic. For years, I had heard references
to using affirmations or self talk in sports and seen references to this topic in
various golf publications. But I always breezed past these points and didn’t give
them much credence. Nothing works better to improve my golf game than a good mechanical
adjustment, I said to myself.
And so, for years I searched for physical ways to
improve my game. I scoured the golf magazines, took lessons periodically, used various
training aids, and hit tons of practice balls. None of these methods produced lasting
results, however. I still sliced. My fairway percentage was low. I wasn’t sinking
putts. And I knew I was capable of scoring better.
Finally at wit’s end, I decided
that something different was called for. It was time to take a different approach
in my quest for golf improvement and try something I had never done before. It was
time to take the leap into the realm of mental golf.
I started with some simple positive affirmations. I am learning to draw the ball.
I am enjoying that sweet draw feeling. I repeated
these words frequently and with conviction. I felt them. I believed them. On the
course, I focused on my new affirmations rather than my old fears. (I always hit
it out-of-bounds on this hole. I can’t seem to change this slice motion, no matter
how hard I try.)
And you know, it worked. I did learn to draw the ball. And I did
enjoy that sweet draw feeling.
With this newfound success, I decided to learn more
about positive affirmations
and positive self talk in sports so I could use these practical mental golf tools
more effectively to improve other aspects of my game. I learned that self talk is going on all the time,
even when we don’t realize it, and it is always affecting our golf and our life. Self talk means those conversations that go on in our head - those things we say
to ourselves and about ourselves and the way we talk to ourselves "deep down inside."
When we start paying attention to self talk, we are usually quite surprised. It
is often quite negative and not supportive. I know that’s how it was for me. Phrases
like, I can’t hit as far as this guy (my golfing partner), I always go in the rough
on this hole, I’ll never make this putt, I know this shot will go off to the left,
were popping up all the time. I had been saying them to myself for so many years
that they were "hard-wired" into my brain. I was literally talking myself into my
golf problems without even realizing it!
With a positive mental golf approach, the idea is to become
aware of negative words and patterns and turn them into positive words and patterns
that are more productive and in line with what we really want (like a good swing,
a good score, an enjoyable game). It's
just like examples of reversed thought - you are reversing the way you are thinking.
I realized that this is what the world-class golfers
do. They practice changing negative self-talk into positive, supportive thoughts.
(Instead of saying to themselves,
I’ll never recover, they say I can recover, for
example.) It doesn’t mean they ignore life and what is happening around them,
but they look at it with a different perspective and think about it in a different
way. They put into practice what is indicated by statistics: You can raise your
performance level 60% higher by effectively using positive self talk rather than
talking negatively.
Actually anyone can change their self talk, not just world-class
athletes. For me, I just started to pay attention to what I was saying to myself
on the practice range and the course. I noticed some habits and patterns of thought
- some phrases that kept popping up. Then, I picked one aspect of my game that I
really wanted to change (curing my slice), and I practiced changing my related self talk
to positive, productive thoughts. To do this, I started with the simple affirmations
mentioned earlier in this article (I am learning to draw the ball. I am enjoying that sweet draw feeling.)
and repeated them frequently and with conviction. I felt
them and, most importantly, believed them.
I learned that feeling and belief are
really the keys when using affirmations to "re-program" your self talk. Affirmations
aren’t magic in and of themselves. If you are a skeptic and say affirmations in
a half-hearted fashion, then it is likely
you won’t experience positive results. But if you are dedicated and affirm them
regularly, with the feeling and belief that they are true, then you will begin to
see things happen. That’s how it was for me. Once I changed my negative, obstructing
thoughts and established a more positive mental environment, all kinds of good things
began to happen. New ideas came to me, mechanical adjustments started to flow, my
confidence grew, and - I enjoyed that sweet draw feeling!
Now I am no longer a skeptic.
I am a true believer in the power of positive self
talk and affirmations. I have
learned that this is the heart of achieving golf improvement and life improvement.
Once I really understood how these basic mental golf techniques worked, I applied them to other
aspects of my game as well. As a result, I have enjoyed
many
successful examples of reversed or changed thought.
I have learned that this positive mental approach isn’t something complex that is
just for the world-class athletes. It’s for everyone! And I have found that it is
just as important as mechanical adjustments, training aids, and lessons. In fact,
it helps to address the mental aspect before going to these other approaches. You
will be more receptive and they will be more effective.
When I was getting started
in using positive affirmations, it was helpful for me to see some examples, so that is what
I have done here to help others on their way. Accompanying this article is a list
of ten common thoughts and attitudes that may be inhibiting your game, along with
positive affirmations that can be used to help change those negative, obstructing
ideas. Starting with just one of these can help you get on a whole new path to improve your golf game. Getting
to the heart of a situation and experiencing a positive change is an uplifting experience.
You can start on the road to change right now by saying, I am learning to grow in golf. May the course be with you!
Take a simple step to improve your golf game!
CLICK HERE for a list of inhibiting thoughts and
attitudes and free affirmations to change them.
Positive Attitude Tips and Tools--
For more inspiration, CLICK HERE
for sports motivational
quotes.
For more golf tips and positive attitude tips,
CLICK HERE to sign up for our free e-newsletter, Positive Golf,
and receive a free golf tips pocket book download.
Golf Improvement Guides - A Blend of Golf Improvement Techniques and Mental
Golf Tips---
To learn about Rick Semple’s book, CHANGE YOUR THINKING,
STOP YOUR SLICE - How I Learned to Draw the Ball After 40 Years of Slicing, CLICK HERE.
To learn about Rick Semple’s book, "LITTLE DRIVES" GET BIG RESULTS" - Creative
Ideas for Distance and Accuracy in the Golf Swing, CLICK HERE.
To learn about Christy
and Rick Semple’s children’s fiction book on golf, CAN-DO, an inspirational story
on attitude, CLICK HERE.
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