Talk, Talk, Talk
How many times have you read or heard that self-talk is important? The answer is probably, quite a lot.
I believe self-talk has two important components. One is the inner dialogue you have with yourself such as when you think things like, Im no good or This will be difficult or I love this! These are all examples of the types of inner dialogue you could have. Different words and phrases work for different people because everyone has their own personal style for what works best for them.
The second component of self-talk relates to the way you talk ABOUT yourself to others. Do you make sarcastic or negative comments about yourself? Do you talk yourself up to others by trying to make yourself look like something youre not?
Self-talk IS important because of the predictive nature that words have in how they impact how you feel, what you do and the outcomes you experience both on and off the golf course. Most books on Sports Psychology or Peak Performance write about the importance of self-talk and offer some examples of positive self talk such as, I love this, This is great or I can do this and Im ready. Many of my clients have made attempts to replace their old self-talk with the new self-talk, but found sporadic success with it. Why? Because using positive words is just the beginning. There is something that is just as important. Its called: belief. If you try to build confidence by using confident words but you dont really believe themyou probably wont experience confidence at the level you would like or at the moment you need it. The reason that negative talk seems to impact us so strongly is because we tend to believe it moreeven though we know its not good for our game.
How do you talk to yourself? How do you talk ABOUT yourself?
To Your Best Golf!
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