The first step in learning to concentrate and stay in the present moment with the action is to rewire your brain by changing your thoughts. 

The self-talk you have in your head is either voices from your past (fear) that you have chosen to replay on the tape in your head, or thoughts of the future (anxiety) that you expect to happen. Either self-talk will sabotage your golf game.

In my mind are thoughts that hurt me or help me!

We have all been conditioned to limit ourselves.

There was a study done with fleas. They were put into a closed tube. They jumped up and hit the top over and over. When the top was taken off they only jumped to the top, never out of the tube.

We need to change limiting beliefs.

The secret for success is believing in yourself! 

People react to what other people want them to be instead of what they want to be.

Don’t accept the limitations others put on you.

What you can conceive and believe, you can achieve! 

Limiting thoughts heard on the golf course:

• Don’t go there, you idiot!
• I have no luck.
• I never play this golf course well.
• I never know who is going to show up when I play this golf course.
• I always mess up this hole. 

These kinds of self-limiting thoughts put a ceiling on your performance, your self esteem, your confidence, your abilities and your self image. Listen to your self-talk and the self-talk of others on the golf course and watch how it affects your game.

Begin now to turn your game around by thinking positively about the shot you are about to create. Let go of expectations. Encourage your good play by praising your efforts. Be your own best caddy. Enjoy the game for its challenges and opportunities without beating yourself up.

February is a unique month in the calendar. It is the shortest month with only 28 days this year. The XXII Winter Olympic Games are well under way. Valentine’s Day falls on the 14^th in the middle of the month. Valentine hearts remind us that love is the greatest emotion that brings us joy. This is a good time to remember why we love to play golf. A change of heart changes everything. 

Here are some of the reasons my clients have told me why they love to play golf. 

• Golf is a fun game to play.
• Golf is a game I can play by myself or with others.
• Golf is a common social bond amongst all who play the game.
• Golf is a game played outdoors in the beauty of nature.
• Golf is a game that challenges them against the golf course and others.
• Golf is a game that moves them into an inner state of focus.
• Golf is played in a peaceful setting that relaxes them.
• Golf reinforces confidence in them and in their abilities.
• Golf teaches them about themselves.
• Golf is a game of honor.
• Golf is a sport that can be played for life.
• Golf is the most difficult sport that keeps them trying for the perfect shot.
• Playing golf “in the zone” is the same feeling as when a person is “in love.” 

What can you add to this list? What do you love about playing golf? 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

On Sunday in New Jersey, the world watched the Seattle Seahawks football team dominate the Denver Broncos 43-8 to decisively win the XLVIII Super Bowl coveted Lombardi Trophy.

What made the difference in the lopsided victory?

Perhaps it was the preparation of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his team. Wilson felt responsible to work hard enough to make it happen. “He refuses to fail. He refuses to let himself fail. And he’s going to refuse to let anyone else around him allow that to happen,” said Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Anyone watching the game saw the Seahawks team operating at 100% effort until the last second.

Wilson knew in his heart that he could win the Super Bowl. Growing up his father instilled confidence in Russell by telling him repeatedly, “Why not you?”

On a deep level of feeling, most golfers believe that they don’t deserve to be the winner. They will point to golfers who are better than they are. In order to play at your best, you need to believe in yourself and in your golf abilities. Believing in yourself is all about focusing on your strengths and on what you do well instead of focusing on what isn’t working.

What you can conceive and believe, you can achieve

Self-esteem or self-confidence is having full trust and reliance in yourself. When you have a high level of self esteem you will be confident, motivated, happy and have a positive attitude to succeed.

Low self-esteem will keep you from taking chances. Low self-esteem is reinforced by thinking negatively, criticizing your performance, or by listening to others who criticize you.

Confidence comes from within. If you are confident, you will have the mental strength to face new challenges. On the golf course everything is new. Every day the golf course and each shot is a new experience to challenge you.

If you don’t believe in yourself and your abilities, who will?

Learn how to be confident enough to win by purchasing the Positive Mental Imagery self-hypnosis golf CD “Confidence to Win Golf Tournaments” at www.pmi4.com/cart

 Contact Joan at 828.696.2547 for a free 15-minute consultation. Learn what is missing in your game so you can become the winner.

The Australian Tennis Open, The Grand slam of Asia/Pacific was concluded on Sunday with 8^th ranked Stanislas Wawrinki being crowned the winner. Stanislas defeated No. 1 Rafael Nadal, winner of 17 grand slam titles. Although he lost, this match was an exceptional victory of courage, grit, determination and unwillingness to give up under extreme painful physical conditions by Nadal.  

28-tear-old Swiss Stanislas Wawrinki, the acknowledged underdog, played flawlessly in the first two sets winning 6-3, 6-2.  Half way through the 2^nd set, Nadal bent over with back pain. It was apparent he couldn’t move and was given treatment off the court. While Nadal’s treatments were being applied, Wawrinki became upset with the excess time, in violation of the medical time allowed, that Rafa took in getting back to the court. 

Wawrinki sat in his chair and continued an animated conversation with the chair umpire wanting to know what Nadal’s problem was. In the few minutes that the conversation lasted, Wawrinki’s mental state changed. Instead of staying “in the zone” he was thinking about and focusing on his opponent’s physical condition. 

In the 3^rd set, Nadal began to move better due to his treatments and painkillers. Wawrinki apparently was still focused on Nadal as his game began to deteriorate. Nadal won the 3^rd set 6-3. The momentum that Stanislas had was gone.  

In the 4^th set, Wawrinski cleared his mind and gained momentum. He won the set at 6-3, closing out the match with the final game at love. Rafael Nadal had given a magnificent show of athletic spirit by refusing to give in to his pain and his opponent.  

Do you lose your momentum when you play? 

It’s important to have a strategy and to stick with it. There are many, many distractions and interferences in a round of golf. While you cannot control the distractions outside of you, you can control what you think and feel about them.

When you are distracted, remember to always bring your focus back to your game plan and to release all thoughts that do not augment it. Release the interfering thought/emotion by taking a deep breath. Refocus by thinking about what you need to do to create your next shot. 

Play “In the Zone” With Joan

Entrain Your Heart & Mind for Peak Performances

When you don’t trust yourself and your golf swing, your trust turns to doubt and that doubt creates tension. Tension is the most common physical cause of making mistakes in the golf swing. Eliminating tension needs to be a key part of your practice and playing routines.

Some days you will have more tension than others. To become relaxed you have to be aware of the feeling of tension when it surfaces. Following are Positive Mental Imagery CDs available at www.pmi4.com/cart that will help you to relax, score lower and have more fun.

Practice these mental coping skills to overcome tension:

• Replace all negative thinking with positive thoughts & images

“Self Hypnosis for Playing “In the Zone”  CD

• Slow Down Your Breathing

     “Progressive Relaxation of the Mind & Body”  CD

• Change your focus from conditions outside you to inside

     “Concentration for Consistent Golf”  CD

• Trust in your ability to make a smooth swing/putt

     “Confident Putting for Lower Scores”  CD

• Replace your fears with empowering self-talk

     “Fearless Golf”  CD

• Release all thoughts about the outcome of the game

     “Release from Performance Anxiety”  CD

• Believe in your ability and your potential

    “Confidence to Win Golf Tournaments”  CD

Repetition is the key to mastering mental and physical skills. By listening to a CD repeatedly the positive suggestions and imagery will be anchored into your memory for easy access on the golf course. 

Entrain Your Heart & Brain for Peak Performances!

How many times have you “tried” too hard to make something happen on the golf course, and instead scored a big number? 

Last weekend the US Figure Skating Championships were held in Boston, Mass. It was one of the factors that determined who would go to the Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 21 days. 

Agnes Zawadzki, a 19-year-old favorite to make the team had a strategy for her five minute short program. She wanted to “skate dumb.” To her this meant not to think and to let her body do what it knows how to do. Instead, she let her brain get in the way. In her required triple lutz she thought too hard. Instead of accomplishing the triple lutz that she had done hundreds of times, she doubled it and lost points on her performance. Agnes finished 11^th in the trials and didn’t make the 3-woman Olympic team. 

Perhaps it was the pressure of repaying her family for the years of sacrifice devoted to her career that caused her to “try” too hard. “Sometimes I feel like I’m never doing enough because I want to pay my mother back so much,” Agnes said. 

Zawadzki’s single mother had worked 10+ hours a day for years to provide the training for Agnes. Her skate boots and blades cost $600 each. Her professionally made skating dresses could cost a couple thousand dollars each. Additional costs included coaching fees, ice time, ballet classes and travel. Hiring a top choreographer could mean $6,000 for a short program, and $9,000 for a long program. 

To gain control, let go of control 

Letting go of trying to control your golf swing means training your brain to let go of thinking about mechanics and allowing your subconscious mind to direct your body as you have instructed it through practice. Agnes knew that, but her underlying thoughts to make it happen were stronger. And fear took over. 

For the past 20+ years I have been showing athletes how to “Just Do It” by putting themselves into the flow or “the zone state.”   

You can begin to access this pleasurable state of peak performance now by calming your inner and outer world. Look diligently at your belief codes. Clear any fearful and limiting thoughts that keep you away from focusing in the moment. Replace the negative thoughts with positive thoughts that empower you. You will know when you have done this because you will truly have fun playing golf. 

Play “In the Zone” With Joan

Entrain Your Heart and Mind for Peak Performances