Don't Focus Too Much, Enjoy Yourself

Balance yourself, whether it be life or a sport. In the game of golf you want to be focused on every shot, because every shot counts, an obstacle that I have found very difficult to perfect. But I have to realize that being too focused is not a good thing either, thus I must balance my senses. As Dr. Joseph Parent says in the book Zen Golf, having the sense of perceptions are necessary for the creativity to follow in your shots. He goes on to say that we use our senses to direct our mind, allowing you to execute your shots the way that you want it to be (41). 

I have never allowed myself to open up to my senses, only to just focus on shooting a good score or dwell on what I did wrong on my previous shot. I never had the thought of just seeing what's ahead, the sounds of nature (birds chirping, leaves rustling, wind blowing), the smell of freshly cut grass, and the feel of my hands holding the club. But I feel if I use my senses, it will give me a different perspective on how I act and react on the course. To be in that moment and to enjoy the nature and ambiance of the course should be my scapegoat from over-focusing. Today, I was playing out on the course and I was able to balance myself by using all of my senses to enjoy the game better. It ended up improving my actual score and I had fun at the same time.

Also, I have to allow myself to be confident with my decisions in order to have a stronger mental game. In  my previous blog I had said that I need to have a more confident mental game, and throughout the book, Parent has expanded on that. He says that "When we say to someone, 'Don't think of a monkey,' the image that comes to mind is a monkey. That's because the word 'monkey' refers to something we can perceive, but the word 'don't' is purely conceptual. On the golf course, when we say to ourselves, "Don't hit into the lake,' the image that appears in our mind is our golf ball flying toward and splashing into the lake."(Parent 44). I can relate strongly to this because; doesn't everybody have the same problem? When I am playing in a tournament or practicing, that is always a problem that gets to me. As I have played with other players in tournaments, I see that those people are having trouble with their shots and I see them dwelling on them. Most of the time it's because they over focus, and let their negative thoughts get to them. To prevent this from happening to me, I need to take time to let my mind flow with the course, thinking of negative thoughts but not worrying about them. To not let anything negative get into your mind, is a big step to master golf.

For any sport, what techniques do you use to help overcome your negative thoughts?

Parent, Joseph, Dr. Zen Golf. New York: Double Day, 2002. Print