Changing Negative Self-Beliefs
Antoine Nguyen, M.A. Performance Consultant
www.total-performance.ca

Have you ever noticed that you play better with a new set of clubs for a while, then go back to normal? Or you may play a great front nine, but a horrible back nine? In many cases, beliefs are at the heart of this.

The biggest problem in people is that they label themselves as a certain kind of player. This puts limits on them and prevents them from achieving their true potential. If these labels were positive, things would not be so bad, but most of the time these labels are negative or limiting. Because of this, golfers set up some kind of internal thermostat that regulates their game to match their self-belief. You may or may not be aware of them, but your beliefs, which are often hidden in your subconscious much like the bulk of an iceberg is hidden under water, guide your performances in profound ways. If you label yourself as a bogey player, and all of a sudden you shoot 40 on the front nine, you think you're playing over your head, and the internal thermostat kicks in. You find yourself playing a horrible back nine to "adjust" your score so that it matches your self-belief.

A fine example of how beliefs affect performance is the four minute mile. Nobody believed that the mile could be ran under four minutes before somebody actually did it. Once this happened, other people started braking the record that same year, and more did it the next. Now, the four minute barrier is broken regularly because people believe that it can be broken. In the same manner, golfers who believe that they can make birdies will have a much greater chance of making birdies than those who don't.

In addition, beliefs are one of the things guiding selective memory. If you believe you are a slicer, than you'll remember more slices than straight shots. You remember them more because they are congruent with your beliefs. Your beliefs guide your behaviors, and your behaviors confirm your beliefs. Without knowing it, you soon find yourself in an insidious downward spiral. There is good news, however you have free will. You can choose to believe whatever you want to believe. You can change these disempowering beliefs and remove the limits you've put on yourself.

You can do this:

1. Identify the negative belief
How do you describe or perceive yourself as a golfer. Identify any belief that is detrimental to your game.

2. Choose a positive replacement belief
Once you've identified the disempowering belief, you must choose a replacement belief that will stretch your limits and empower your game. It might be the direct opposite of the negative belief, or it can be something that is beyond, such as "I am a low handicap golfer who can stay in the present and focus on every shot" instead of "I don't have what it takes to shoot low scores".

3. Choose three or more supporting behaviors
Think of three of more behaviors reflecting this new belief. These behaviors can be based on real memories or imagined, such as a great drive, a perfect chip, or a masterful recovery shot. It might even be receiving a trophy for winning a tournament.

4. Use imagery to mentally rehearse these new behaviors
Picture these behaviors in your head as vividly as you can. See, hear, and feel yourself achieving whatever you want to achieve. Play every detail of it in your mind, as if you were looking at a video. Try to imagine as many details as possible, so that the imagined behaviors/events seem as vivid as the real thing. Then, jump inside yourself and see it through your own eyes as if you were actually there. Experience all the sensations and emotions that are associated with them. Mentally rehearse these behaviors as often as you can so that they are firmly anchored in your mind. In doing so, you create blueprints or memories that will support your new belief. Your brain doesn't make the difference between a vividly imagined event and an actual event. The easiest proof of that is when you are dreaming.

Finally, always choose to remember your good shots and forget about the bad ones once you've learned from them. If you are able to change all your negative beliefs, you will free yourself to play better golf by removing mental barriers that prevented you from achieving your true potential. Remember, what your mind can conceive, your body can achieve.