| We all have what
I call an inner game thermostat. It governs
your inner game temperature, so to speak.
Your comfort zone is like a climate controlled
room. If it gets too cool then it's time
to heat up. If it gets too hot the air conditioner
turns on to cool things down.
Your inner thermostat does exactly what
it is preprogrammed to do - bring your
game back to *normal*! How? By producing
what appears to be the "wrong swing
at the wrong time". Yet in reality
it is actually the "right swing at
the right time!" Your inner game
thermostat calmly runs beneath your conscious
awareness. Perfectly controlling your
game.
The same goes for when you are approaching
your personal low score. Yet there's something
funny about the settings on the low side
of our comfort zone... The thermostat
seems to kick in with even more certainty!
(Have you ever noticed that even though
your scores might be climbing and you
are not happy about it, it feels easier
and somehow more acceptable than going
really low? I'm not saying you don't want
to go low. I'm saying that you are *familiar*
with shooting higher scores because you've
done this more often than shoot really
low scores.)
As you get nearer to breaking your personal
best it kicks on and returns your game
to "normal". How? You card a
couple bogies in a row and guess what?
You magically shoot within the range of
scoring your unconscious has hardwired
for you! Your comfort zone is maintained*...The
strange thing is there's nothing comfortable
about it at all! We are comfortable because
of only one thing: we have made it a habit.
Comfort zones are a long and slow death
to any hopes you have of reaching your
potential. I don't care what kind of goal
setting plan, or mental game worksheet
you follow or how much you practice. Your
internal setting for what you "believe"
about your game is what calls the shots.
Pun fully intended. :-)
There are specific strategies for creating
new settings on your inner game thermostat.
Nothing complicated yet they are extremely
powerful and effective. But hey, only
you know how much you want to break out
of your comfort zone.
...it's kind of like the proverbial frog
in a pot of water. Set the frog in a pot
of water and slowly bring it to a boil
and the frog stays there because it is
comfortable along the way...
Reach the next level in your game and
make the changes you want now. After all,
the water is slowly coming to a boil... |
