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Make Your Own Luck with Your Mental Game

"The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course."
--Billy Graham

Dear Golfer,

Billy's quote reminds me just how mentally tough golf can be on the psyche.

To make your own luck, you will need to approach your emotions differently than most golfers.

When most golfers feel fear or anger, their first reaction is to try and manipulate themselves into feeling differently.

They'll tell themselves to 'be more positive.' If this doesn't work, they'll intensify their efforts, telling themselves they MUST get into a relaxed, confident frame of mind right away.

The mental challenge with this approach is that negative emotions are an energetic force. They arrive unbidden from deep in the unconscious mind. As such, they have a life of their own, and rarely respond to demands from us.

Instead of trying 'harder' with your emotions, try 'softer' with them. Don't fight your own energy, especially when it is negative.

Merely let it run its energetic cycle and pass. Most negative emotions, if not resisted, do not last very long.

One of the best ways to let the energetic cycle pass is to bring yourself into the present moment, which means looking to the next shot.

Consider the wisdom of pro Lee Janzen:

"I used to get all wrapped up when I'd miss shots or when I'd get a bad break here and there. It just doesn't do you any good.

Once you start talking about one bad break, suddenly you're thinking backward the whole time, and all you're thinking is, "Man, I can't get a break today."

So, now I focus on the shot ahead of me and how I'm going to hit as good a shot as I possibly can.

It doesn't matter where the ball ends up. I can only do the best I can.

Whatever you focus on becomes real. So if you think about being unlucky, you're going to be unlucky.

If you think about being lucky, you're also going to be unlucky.

But if you think about the shot at hand, you'll make your own luck."

Mental Toughness Assignment

Here is an assignment you can use to practice this.

Over the next week, record a golf situation that triggers a negative emotion in you, such as a poor round.

Now, use reverse psychology on yourself. Let's imagine you play a round and you do not perform very well (at least, not as well as you expected). Quite naturally, you will be frustrated and disappointed.

Instead of telling yourself, "Why should I get upset about that round? It didn't mean anything. I should calm down and stop being such a baby. It's stupid to get that emotional about golf," write down the opposite.

Be compassionate with yourself; tell yourself it is quite normal for you to react this way. Agree with every emotion you have, and put a good name to this feeling. You may call it 'intensity' or 'passion' for the game.

Do not try to talk yourself out of your disappointment. You don't need to prolong it, or wallow in self-pity, but you also don't need to reject it, either. Merely allow it to run its energetic cycle as you focus on your next shot.

That's where my ebook "Breathrough Golf! Lower Your Score Now Using the Mental Toughness Secrets of Professional Athletes" comes in. It's filled with dozens and dozens of techniques for instantly lowering your score without making any technical changes in your game at all.

And it comes with TWO great bonus books that aren't available anywhere else.

Check it out here:

www.golfgamesecrets.com/sales/

I'll talk to you again soon.

Your friend,
Lisa B.