It is TT (tournament time!) of the year for most of our northeast golfers. This for many brings about some anxiety, fear, and in general unease. We would like to believe it also brings about excitement, engagement, fun, fear and sense of purpose. Did you notice anything like my previous comments? Fear! Got it! Fear is that “terrible” thing we feel when something is uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to be a “terrible” feeling. Having some nervousness, anxiousness and a touch of fear can be a good thing! It is a normal reaction to anything that we are challenging ourselves with, golf is a challenge, one reason it makes most of us so fearful, we think it shouldn’t be this way. If you ask any great golf athlete how they felt prior to most any big event, they would mention excitement, nervousness, process and letting go. The keys there are process and letting go, these two phrases are coming from fear, in order to let go, you must be holding on to something? That something is fear, anxiousness of what might happen. Process is what helps athletes move away from the outcome based thinking that creates fear. Allowing them to focus on why they are there in the first place, they love the challenge, pushing themselves to be better!
No matter how good you get at something, fear is not going away, it is our brain’s way of getting us to recognize the conditions we are entering, fight or flight. This can allow us to enter the “zone”. To move from the thinking brain to the autonomous brain, creating a state of flow. High performers can get there quickly under stressful conditions, if they have trained properly. Back to the statement, trust the process and let go, things will click! Easier said than done but can be done if you learn how to harness the great power of your brain, breath and behavior to outcomes.
Enjoy the challenge, except the outcome, you may be surprised at how good you can become when you allow fear to help you get into flow or the zone! Each time you play it allows the opportunity, embrace the steps towards improvement, before you realize it, you will be getting results!
Enjoy Your Journey!
