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Confidence is one of golf's golden keys. With it you are invincible, without it you are struggling. Confidence is how well you think about yourself to yourself. Its importance cannot be exaggerated. It is possible to be always confident, no matter what the circumstance.
Bill is a streaky golfer. There are no grey areas in his game. He either plays great golf or pure rubbish. His confidence is very brittle. A few bad shots and he decides that this isn't his day. His sense of self-belief lacks resilience.
He realizes that his confidence is totally dependant on his performance.
Wherever there is a dependency there is a lack of freedom. So when Bill's confidence is dependent upon his performance his confidence is beyond his direct control.
This absence of control must have a considerable effect on Bill's consistency.
Bill must make a radical change concerning his confidence. He will have to take full responsibility for maintaining and developing it. It's worth repeating that confidence is how well you think about yourself to yourself.
It's crazy for Bill to have his level of confidence predetermined by an external factor, such as his performance on the day.
Bill must accept that the creation and maintenance of his self-confidence should be given a central role in his golf game. It is absolutely vital for him that he do this.
Actively creating your own confidence is one of the essential features of mental strength. No matter what the circumstances, you know that you are going to get the job done, play the shot, sink the putt, etc. Psychologically you become far greater than whatever setbacks you may experience. Mentally you are ahead of the game.
Confidence is an essential part of human performance. When your self-belief is strong you become a lot less introspective and self-reflective, thereby producing less tension. Your actions become more spontaneous and effective.
When you are confident your actions are controlled by your subconscious mind, not your conscious mind. When you first learned to drive a motor car you used your conscious part of your brain. Over a period of time you grew in confidence so today you use your sub-conscious mind when you drive and it all becomes very easy.
Set out to deliberately re-program your self-confidence, i.e. your subconscious. Your confidence determines how you habitually face a challenge. Regardless of what confidence level you presently experience on the golf course, make a vow right now to radically improve it.
Before every shot on the golf course, talk to yourself in a totally positive way about the outcome of the shot. It requires total commitment on your part. It is no longer good enough to mentally "sit on the fence". If the shot doesn't come off, so what! It certainly isn't because of poor attitude. Never, never, play a shot without your mind being totally committed to a positive outcome.
Off the course, get into the habit of talking positively to yourself about your game. You are what you think. When you think positive, you become positive.
Create positive affirmations such as, "Every day and in every way I am becoming more and more a confident golfer". Use your imagination. Your mind is like a lump of clay in the hands of a sculptor, to be fashioned into anything you desire.
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