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OCTOBER, 2001
Playing in
the Zone
When
you are in the "zone", it is almost
magical how easy it is to accomplish even the
most difficult shots. However, not many golfers
can enter the zone at will or maintain being in
the zone once they realize that they are in it.
It is
possible to enter and stay in the zone by
optimizing your brain's chemistry, which enhances
all of your natural abilities and functions.
Fortunately, getting and staying in the zone is a
lot easier than hitting a golf ball perfectly
every time, which is impossible.
To
optimize your brain's chemistry all you have to
do is to eliminate all of your negative emotions
and increase your positive emotions. This is
easier said than done because of your mind's past
programming of outcome thinking and associating
negative emotions to facts.
The
first step to playing in the zone is to become
totally process oriented. If you focus on the
outcome, you open yourself to negative emotions
of fear and anger of making or missing a shot.
The only value an outcome provides is feedback to
help you improve the process. It makes common
sense that who ever executes the process the best
will be the winner. So why focus on the outcome
and rob yourself of the opportunity to play in
the zone.
By
focusing solely on the process of improving, it
is a lot easier to be objective and realize that
everything that happens is a fact. A fact is
merely a fact. A fact provides information that
you can use to improve the process. There is
never a justifiable reason to allow a mere fact
to cause a negative emotional reaction in your
mental makeup.
For
example, if your putt lips out, that is a fact.
An outcome thinker will more than likely feel
upset or disappointed because he missed the putt.
However, a process thinker will be happy because
it was very close and look for adjustments to
sink the next putt. The same fact causes
different emotional reactions and brain chemistry
depending upon your focus.
If
you train your mind to be process oriented, you
can start focusing on how you feel and develop
the ability to feel your way into the zone and
maintain it. The greater your mechanical ability,
the better your outcomes will be when you are in
the zone.
This
is why Tiger Woods has been playing exceptional
golf. He has excellent mechanical skills and
anticipates being able to play in the zone during
a tournament. He is not concerned with the
outcome. His primary concern is to enter the zone
because he expects the outcome to be there when
he does.
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"My game had
improved since reading your book and applying
your Mental Tips. Last year was my first year of
golf. When I applied your techniques, I
immediately took 10 strokes off my game. I am
also able to get my game back on track after a
"bad" hole. Thank you for taking the
time to write this book. Not only has it helped
in my golf game, but in other aspects of my life
as well! Thanks again."
-Nancy Edwards
Phoenix, NY
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