The Positive Edge
You’ve heard them on weekends and during golf tournaments. The alpha-types are out there on the fairway cursing and ranting about their shot that just went into the rough. What should be a day away from the office becomes just another day at the office working at golf.
I’ve noticed this when I’m playing with people I don’t know. I only know them by their reactions to a golf shot. They jump on themselves and others when they make a mistake. I also see it in business. The smallest issue quickly becomes a firestorm of activity amid crisis and negativity. There is no up from there.
According to David Breslow, the Golf Channel’s columnist on the Mental Game, many people operate this way and don’t realize that they are “thriving” when they react in this manner. Yet this behavior does not produce the outcome they wish or remove the problem; rather it has a negative impact on productivity among those on the course and those unfortunates back in the office.
Breslow, a speaker and author, says that considering the amount of money golfers put into their equipment, travel and time practising, it is reasonable to enjoy a more positive experience from a game of golf. Breslow offers his clients the FlowZone© program, which is “very, very simple” he says.
For instance, Breslow suggests committing to finding at least ONE thing you can celebrate on every hole, no matter what your score is on that hole. “This forces your brain to search for those hidden moments that might normally slip away. Find moments to celebrate AND CELEBRATE THEM. Feel good about them, smile, put a bounce in your step, pump your fist or whatever! “
Another problem is that too many golfers focus on WHAT’S NOT WORKING. While some may mildly acknowledge what they did right, they are more intense about what went wrong.
Breslow offers a simple question:
What do you react to with greater intensity; the outcomes you like or the outcomes you don’t like?
“Most golfers admit they respond with greater intensity to the results they don’t like,” he says. “If this is you, remember your mind will record what you focus on with the greater intensity and that is what you will store on your tape.”
David Breslow
Performance Success Strategies
847.681.1698
www.theflowzone.net
I wish they printed your post on scorecards throughout the world, because I can’t stand playing with overly serious A-types. I once played with a guy, who, along with dragging his wife and father-in-law to the course with him, chided his wife for stepping across his putting line–and this was at a baby executive course. What fun!
Comment by Wounded Duck — May 24, 2007 @ 9:40 am