Meta-Awareness Learning

[bladehunter]

Excellent post again Jim.

 

To your points. I've had large battles in they last 2 years on course with myself. My " self talk " has been atrocious. Mostly around my putting woes. I've always had self confidence in ballstriking. But I've had rounds in competition where I 3 putted 7 or more greens. I believed that I was the worst putter on earth. ( I am not ). And I talked to my self this way. And it was absolutely a self fulfilling prophecy. When I'd get into myself I'd tense up and everything from a yip to just very poor speed control would immediately set in. I've overcome this and I now am very positive over the ball. Driver is my last mountain. I'm better. But I'm still prone to the unexplainable flinch that is liable to go anywhere.

 

On the flip side I've never been that way with shortgame or approach shots. I've literally said to myself while walking to my ball for a pitch or bunker shot etc " lets just make this one and get on to the next hole ". And then setup and drop it in the hole. I've done that more times in 4 years ( started this game in 2014) than I can recall. Self talk makes a difference. I don't claim to be a master. But I'm a believer.

 

Yes - you are noticing a direct correlation between your mental state and your shot outcomes. That is the essence of MA.

 

In our all day putting "boot camps" the very first drill we do with the students is a positive self-talk exercise to replace their old "I suck at putting!" to "I am a great putter!".

 

Interesting is that about half of the students do not want to say out loud "I am a great putter!" like they mean it.

 

Their ego is so attached to their negative self-image as a bad putter that even the thought of saying that positive phrase out loud is tough for them.

 

One of the cardinal principles of peak performance psychology is that your performance will always tend to match your self-image.

 

No point working on anything else - especially mechanics! - until and unless you change your self-image first.

 

I have seen scores of students do that self-image change in just a few minutes and then immediately start putting much better.

 

Man. It feels so good to know I’m not “the only one “. I wandered through that dark hallway and found light the hard way. I guess it’s a concrete lesson though. So maybe more valuable. But man it was terrible. At one point I lagged 8 footers with no intention of making them. Just to not 3 putt. That’s how low I got. And I was a guy averaging 12-14 greens in regulation then. I used to beg the ball to miss a green If short, so I could use a wedge instead of having a long putt. So I had utmost confidence in one aspect and less than zero in putting.

 

I’m super excited about next year With the small amount of knowledge I have learned this summer. But like all things. I’m sure I’ll find out that I don’t know nearly enough yet. lol. So I’ll continue to push. And figure it out.

[FourTops]

To Jim's point about lack of a vocabulary on MA and how to describe it when related to golf.

Googling "Meta-Awareness golf" this thread is now the 5th link that pops up and 1st thing that pops up with golf in the title. And it was created on 11/15/18.

 

The two go hand in hand, but talking about it is in it's infancy in the mainstream. I will predict now that in order for people who take this game up after age 19, some sort of MA is what will finally bring scores down as a whole. Bold statement, but humans will eventually find a way to master something and MA is a huge part of that.

 

Yep...and just remember who started this thread! I AM a GREAT TOPIC POSTER!! LOL!

 

This is BY FAR more interesting than getting into so many "P positions" that I end up thinking "I have to pee".

[FourTops]

Case in point...today. #3 par 5. Good drive. 2nd shot, 21* hybrid pulled left. 10 minutes prior...I hit probably 30 21* shots within 5 yards of my target. I want to say that I think I was trying too hard to "not think". Then the 3rd shot under one tree above another....2 feet from the pin. Birdie. But so what...that 2nd shot is what bothers me more than anything.

[Jim Waldron]

Never try to "not think". Not the way the mind works. It cannot process negative commands. Most famously from NLP and George Lakoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant".

 

You need to focus your attention on one thing only that has proven to work well, ie tends to inhibit any tendency to flinch during the swing and thus increases your odds of hitting a good shot.

 

Many proven effective Focal Points in my research over the last five decades: target picture, balance, grip pressure, rhythm, tempo, triangle arm pressures, core muscle activation, basic upper body pivot motion feel, finish, etc.

[FourTops]

Never try to "not think". Not the way the mind works. It cannot process negative commands. Most famously from NLP and George Lakoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant".

 

You need to focus your attention on one thing only that has proven to work well, ie tends to inhibit any tendency to flinch during the swing and thus increases your odds of hitting a good shot.

 

Many proven effective Focal Points in my research over the last five decades: target picture, balance, grip pressure, rhythm, tempo, triangle arm pressures, core muscle activation, basic upper body pivot motion feel, finish, etc.

 

Jim, where do you teach?

[Jim Waldron]

Never try to "not think". Not the way the mind works. It cannot process negative commands. Most famously from NLP and George Lakoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant".

 

You need to focus your attention on one thing only that has proven to work well, ie tends to inhibit any tendency to flinch during the swing and thus increases your odds of hitting a good shot.

 

Many proven effective Focal Points in my research over the last five decades: target picture, balance, grip pressure, rhythm, tempo, triangle arm pressures, core muscle activation, basic upper body pivot motion feel, finish, etc.

 

Jim, where do you teach?

 

Portland, Oregon in summer. Oahu, Hawaii in winter. Palm Springs in the Spring.

[FourTops]

Never try to "not think". Not the way the mind works. It cannot process negative commands. Most famously from NLP and George Lakoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant".

 

You need to focus your attention on one thing only that has proven to work well, ie tends to inhibit any tendency to flinch during the swing and thus increases your odds of hitting a good shot.

 

Many proven effective Focal Points in my research over the last five decades: target picture, balance, grip pressure, rhythm, tempo, triangle arm pressures, core muscle activation, basic upper body pivot motion feel, finish, etc.

 

Jim, where do you teach?

 

Portland, Oregon in summer. Oahu, Hawaii in winter. Palm Springs in the Spring.

 

What do I need to do to book sessions in Palm Springs?

[Jim Waldron]

Some other aspects of MA that are kind of like "identifiers".

 

1. in the present moment.

 

2. with eyes open and observing the environment around you with your vision, noticing that you are seeing much sharper depth dimension, (two dimensional internal visual processing is the norm when thinking or day dreaming and can sort of carry over to observing the environment). Meaning that in normal awareness state, you are kind of missing out on the 3rd dimension, the world seems a little bit "flat". Actually all of your senses are sharper, colors are brighter, etc. when in MA state.

 

3. no judgement. Just pure acceptance of "what is".

 

4. better working memory and short term memory, so a state of continuity of memory is very noticeable.

 

5. emotional stability to the point of being very, very calm.

 

6. threat scan part of the brain switches off so you are not triggering the stress response of fight or flight or freeze.

 

Never try to "not think". Not the way the mind works. It cannot process negative commands. Most famously from NLP and George Lakoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant".

 

You need to focus your attention on one thing only that has proven to work well, ie tends to inhibit any tendency to flinch during the swing and thus increases your odds of hitting a good shot.

 

Many proven effective Focal Points in my research over the last five decades: target picture, balance, grip pressure, rhythm, tempo, triangle arm pressures, core muscle activation, basic upper body pivot motion feel, finish, etc.

 

Jim, where do you teach?

 

Portland, Oregon in summer. Oahu, Hawaii in winter. Palm Springs in the Spring.

 

What do I need to do to book sessions in Palm Springs?

 

Just send me a PM and I will go over the options with you.

[oikos1]

This thread reads like a college psychology club. Fun to peek in on.

[Tanner25]

This thread reads like a college psychology club. Fun to peek in on.

 

It is interesting how the folks who advise positions do not post here.

[jbw749]

This thread reads like a college psychology club. Fun to peek in on.

 

It is interesting how the folks who advise positions do not post here.

 

Threads similar to this have posted on and off for 3 years. When instructors do post it's usually with the advice to rep it out with proper tools like gears, trackman and a qualified instructor at your side. Great tools but really lopsided because it completely ignores the emotional state of the student and how it impairs learning and affects mechanics.

A great instructor would use both, wanting to interview the student and see how powerful the ego really is, before even touching a club.

MA is just another tool to improve at anything, it's directed focus, golf is just a small part of the benefit.

 

 

[jbw749]

You DON'T need MA if you're not stressed out, dealing with OCD, angry over stupid things at times, fear public speaking, cant stop thinking about the past or worrying about the future or constantly worrying about things out of your control and of course you don't judge everything you come across. There are several more.

 

The less of these things you deal with the less you need to work on MA.

 

But if you are one of the people who have some, most or all of the above conditions, swinging a golf club is going to come second to getting your head right.

 

You could play golf for 60 years and never know how good you really were.

[Nard_S]

You DON'T need MA if you're not stressed out, dealing with OCD, angry over stupid things at times, fear public speaking, cant stop thinking about the past or worrying about the future or constantly worrying about things out of your control and of course you don't judge everything you come across. There are several more.

 

The less of these things you deal with the less you need to work on MA.

 

But if you are one of the people who have some, most or all of the above conditions, swinging a golf club is going to come second to getting your head right.

 

You could play golf for 60 years and never know how good you really were.

 

When make my annual tip to my favorite place in New England,playing to potential (scratch level) comes easy. If I'm home, worked 65 hours, stressed w/real life, nah, not so much.

 

Have not played nor practice for last several months a lot so when I did a range session yesterday, fell back into command mode and chasing mechanics.Once I settled my mind set and listened got the rapport going, did things straighten out things.and found a fix that no amount of conscious yabbering could do.

[FourTops]

You DON'T need MA if you're not stressed out, dealing with OCD, angry over stupid things at times, fear public speaking, cant stop thinking about the past or worrying about the future or constantly worrying about things out of your control and of course you don't judge everything you come across. There are several more.

 

The less of these things you deal with the less you need to work on MA.

 

But if you are one of the people who have some, most or all of the above conditions, swinging a golf club is going to come second to getting your head right.

 

You could play golf for 60 years and never know how good you really were.

 

Fear of public speaking....that's an excellent parallel. One knows their speech, practices, obviously knows how to talk since 2 years old, then at the podium their voice gets crackly, their mind blanks out. It's why they say to picture the audience in their underwear. How about stage fright? Stage fright could be "on the course swings" vs. range "safe space".

[FourTops]

When I sit down to play a hard piano piece, if I think about how I might play the piece, future, I'm cooked before I begin. If I think about yesterday's mistakes, I'm cooked. I play the best when I ignore past and future thinking. How many times do we step up to a shot and think, "don't pull this left like the last time"...then proceed to pull the shot left?

[oikos1]

You DON'T need MA if you're not stressed out, dealing with OCD, angry over stupid things at times, fear public speaking, cant stop thinking about the past or worrying about the future or constantly worrying about things out of your control and of course you don't judge everything you come across. There are several more.

 

The less of these things you deal with the less you need to work on MA.

 

But if you are one of the people who have some, most or all of the above conditions, swinging a golf club is going to come second to getting your head right.

 

You could play golf for 60 years and never know how good you really were.

 

These things you list above, this is what separates successful and unsuccessful people in all walks of life, whether it be sports, work, relationships or any functioning component of ones life.

 

You are absolutely right. If you are struggling to the point that you can't swing a golf club, you probably shouldn't be swinging a club and should be spending your time getting your head right.

[wmblake2000]

Never try to "not think". Not the way the mind works. It cannot process negative commands. Most famously from NLP and George Lakoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant".

 

You need to focus your attention on one thing only that has proven to work well, ie tends to inhibit any tendency to flinch during the swing and thus increases your odds of hitting a good shot.

 

Many proven effective Focal Points in my research over the last five decades: target picture, balance, grip pressure, rhythm, tempo, triangle arm pressures, core muscle activation, basic upper body pivot motion feel, finish, etc.

 

Tolstoy joined a club as a teen. The initiation rite was to stand on a street corner all afternoon and not think of a white polar bear.

[wmblake2000]

 

 

Man. It feels so good to know I’m not “the only one “. I wandered through that dark hallway and found light the hard way. I guess it’s a concrete lesson though. So maybe more valuable. But man it was terrible. At one point I lagged 8 footers with no intention of making them. Just to not 3 putt. That’s how low I got. And I was a guy averaging 12-14 greens in regulation then. I used to beg the ball to miss a green If short, so I could use a wedge instead of having a long putt. So I had utmost confidence in one aspect and less than zero in putting.

 

I’m super excited about next year With the small amount of knowledge I have learned this summer. But like all things. I’m sure I’ll find out that I don’t know nearly enough yet. lol. So I’ll continue to push. And figure it out.

 

I am going to play some regional Sr/super Sr tourneys next year PRCISELY to encounter self-doubt under pressure. This is as ingrained a habit with me as is sucking the club inside then OTT.

 

I intend to perform optimally. That is a big deal to commit to.

 

Where meta-awareness comes into play is the more one becomes a witness to habits/mental tendencies, the more capacity to redirect focus becomes. The shift is from being what i conceive of as ‘enmeshed’ with an unhelpful, unpleasant thought/belief/perception to being separate from it and recognizing an innate preference for a better, more satisfying one.

 

 

[jbw749]

You DON'T need MA if you're not stressed out, dealing with OCD, angry over stupid things at times, fear public speaking, cant stop thinking about the past or worrying about the future or constantly worrying about things out of your control and of course you don't judge everything you come across. There are several more.

 

The less of these things you deal with the less you need to work on MA.

 

But if you are one of the people who have some, most or all of the above conditions, swinging a golf club is going to come second to getting your head right.

 

You could play golf for 60 years and never know how good you really were.

 

These things you list above, this is what separates successful and unsuccessful people in all walks of life, whether it be sports, work, relationships or any functioning component of ones life.

 

You are absolutely right. If you are struggling to the point that you can't swing a golf club, you probably shouldn't be swinging a club and should be spending your time getting your head right.

 

I'm trying to remember if you've ever agreed with me on the forum ?. Or maybe you're trying to bait me. But either way the above problems run rampant in society. MA is a huge part of the remedy. I found MA while addressing anxiety in my personal life then figured out how to use it for golf. I think understanding zen before reading Gallwey's book is why it hit home with me and not others who have read it.

So many questions were answered as to why I struggled to improve. They still are being answered.

 

[jbw749]

Jim,

I've read that many people study zen, can do some of the exercises, but then loose interest and revert back to their old way of thinking. Is this what you see commonly? I wonder if it helps to have some affliction you are dealing with and you seek out MA to realize how profound it is?

[Jim Waldron]

Jim,

I've read that many people study zen, can do some of the exercises, but then loose interest and revert back to their old way of thinking. Is this what you see commonly? I wonder if it helps to have some affliction you are dealing with and you seek out MA to realize how profound it is?

 

Hard to answer your question. Zen practice, like any radical behavioral change pursuit, is a Process that if you are truly serious about, takes a long term commitment.

 

Lots of "dabblers" in Zen like any skill, including golf. The serious folks will stick with it.

 

Zen is all about 1. recognizing that you are suffering or under-performing precisely because you know that you are not fully awake and then 2. practicing mindfulness exercises (and later more advanced meditation) so that you can become more awake and thus much more functional, saner and happier.

 

Mainstream culture turns everything into a commodity, including meditation and because of that basic level mistake misses the whole point. Buddhist Meditation is NOT the same thing as self-hypnosis or trance states that you could use to calm down or reduce stress. Those positive things will indeed happen as a nice side benefit but the whole point of Buddhist practice is to become more awake/aware - as an end unto itself. Meaning there is inherent value in being more awake.

 

One of my Buddhist teachers was born and raised in Tibet and trained from a very young age in the Buddhist tradition, and he used the term "basic sanity" a lot. It means your normal consciousness is sort of "insanity-lite" meaning emotionally reactive, self-centered, and under the influence of toxic mental states, false beliefs that bear no relationship to actual reality, etc. MA or mindfulness practice allows you to wake up from the spell of normal consciousness so that you leave that toxic state behind and achieve basic sanity.

[Jim Waldron]

Man. It feels so good to know I'm not "the only one ". I wandered through that dark hallway and found light the hard way. I guess it's a concrete lesson though. So maybe more valuable. But man it was terrible. At one point I lagged 8 footers with no intention of making them. Just to not 3 putt. That's how low I got. And I was a guy averaging 12-14 greens in regulation then. I used to beg the ball to miss a green If short, so I could use a wedge instead of having a long putt. So I had utmost confidence in one aspect and less than zero in putting.

 

I'm super excited about next year With the small amount of knowledge I have learned this summer. But like all things. I'm sure I'll find out that I don't know nearly enough yet. lol. So I'll continue to push. And figure it out.

 

I am going to play some regional Sr/super Sr tourneys next year PRCISELY to encounter self-doubt under pressure. This is as ingrained a habit with me as is sucking the club inside then OTT.

 

I intend to perform optimally. That is a big deal to commit to.

 

Where meta-awareness comes into play is the more one becomes a witness to habits/mental tendencies, the more capacity to redirect focus becomes. The shift is from being what i conceive of as 'enmeshed' with an unhelpful, unpleasant thought/belief/perception to being separate from it and recognizing an innate preference for a better, more satisfying one.

 

Yes!

 

"Enmeshed" is a great term for normal consciousness.

 

When you are enmeshed, its like struggling with a huge knotted ball of string. The solution is to stop pulling on the string and walk away.

 

Takes at least a glimmer of MA to recognize that the problem is not the ball of string itself, the problem is "you" struggling with trying to untie the knots.

 

In golf, there is no larger or more difficult ball of string than a case of severe yips. The more the golfer tries to "fix the yips" using normal awareness, the tighter the knots become. I show those guys how to use MA and other methods so that they simply walk away.....no more yips.

[Jim Waldron]

I think JB's point about not "needing" MA to play golf is true. Just like you can play with 3 clubs instead of 14, or with a golf swing with terrible mechanics or balance.

 

But why would you do that? If you want to even come close to achieving your best performance, MA is not optional.

 

Being in control of your emotions and your mental state, performing your pre-shot routine consistently, achieving narrow focus on your chosen focal point, staying in the present so you are not reacting to your triple on the last hole or fantasizing about holding the trophy on the 18th green, trusting your swing, commiting to your target - all of those things are much, much easier to do and to do well from MA than from normal awareness.

 

In fact, having taught the mental game for over 25 years, I can state confidently that doing those mental game fundamentals is almost impossible to do well and consistently from normal awareness state.

[bladehunter]

To those wondering why people just don’t get right and take the fear away. ( appologize if I’m misunderstanding )

 

Just doesn’t work that way I’m afraid. “ getting your head right “ is such a subjective thing. Who’s head IS right ? What measure is used for that ?

 

Most of the hyper successful people in history have been described as borderline psychotic at certain times. It takes a unreasonable drive to overcome the fears described above. It’s not about “ getting your head right “ in terms of some sort of help to be “ normal “. Normal doesn’t exist. It’s a made up term to describe apathy in humans. Emotions like fear are healthy. IF we learn how to overcome it. The idea that “ normal “ people walk around “ happy “ without any issues is just false. There’s no getting right to avoid these. It’s deal with it as it comes. That’s the same as any human. I say that as old school as anyone. But from a place where my fight or flight is always fight. I almost have no flight in me. But yet I have fears galore pop up. I’ve just been forced to deal with them all my life. Nobody to coddle me and allow me to “ flee”.

 

I’ll stop my rant with this. My grandad who served in Europe and Japan in wwII attached to the 8th Air Force. Said this to me “ if anyone ever tells you they weren’t scared in war , they are a damn liar “... the man had 14 battle stars and enough points ( look up the points system ) to have gone home 8 months before the war ended. And he stayed. It’s not about eliminating fear. It’s about dealing with it.

[wmblake2000]

Jim,

I've read that many people study zen, can do some of the exercises, but then loose interest and revert back to their old way of thinking. Is this what you see commonly? I wonder if it helps to have some affliction you are dealing with and you seek out MA to realize how profound it is?

 

The irony is, from the Buddha, is all of life is suffering. The second irony is, human beings have the capacity to bury/ignore their suffering (and thus, act out of it). I agree with those who believe they are fortunate to recognize their suffering, as it inspires a kind of quest that pays dividends, when done honestly.

 

I would describe my own life and process with meditation as most challenging (and more rewarding) aspiration of all I have done. In the process of growth, one encounters the whole truth of his/her being - the good, the bad, the ugly. The recognition of sublime beauty is not a trivial process - it requires the very best we can bring to the table over time to transform. This battle is at the heart of all religions.

 

In 2018, we are just beginning to grasp how consciousness works at a broader level. In the process, all kinds of popular notions spring up, most of which are tied to marketing a new car or something.

 

However, as we look at the prospect of 10 billion human beings on the planet in a few short years, and the impact of that incredible number of people has on the viability of humans, it is my personal belief that a large-scale embracing of the wisdom and sanity embedded in this kind of practice is critical for realistic hope for the future.

 

Way off topic. I don't go down this path here very often, but this seemed to be a little discussion where it's not just totally off-topic. (Well, yes it it. Apologies!)

[jbw749]

To those wondering why people just don’t get right and take the fear away. ( appologize if I’m misunderstanding )

 

Just doesn’t work that way I’m afraid. “ getting your head right “ is such a subjective thing. Who’s head IS right ? What measure is used for that ?

 

Most of the hyper successful people in history have been described as borderline psychotic at certain times. It takes a unreasonable drive to overcome the fears described above. It’s not about “ getting your head right “ in terms of some sort of help to be “ normal “. Normal doesn’t exist. It’s a made up term to describe apathy in humans. Emotions like fear are healthy. IF we learn how to overcome it. The idea that “ normal “ people walk around “ happy “ without any issues is just false. There’s no getting right to avoid these. It’s deal with it as it comes. That’s the same as any human. I say that as old school as anyone. But from a place where my fight or flight is always fight. I almost have no flight in me. But yet I have fears galore pop up. I’ve just been forced to deal with them all my life. Nobody to coddle me and allow me to “ flee”.

 

I’ll stop my rant with this. My grandad who served in Europe and Japan in wwII attached to the 8th Air Force. Said this to me “ if anyone ever tells you they weren’t scared in war , they are a damn liar “... the man had 14 battle stars and enough points ( look up the points system ) to have gone home 8 months before the war ended. And he stayed. It’s not about eliminating fear. It’s about dealing with it.

 

You don't put your head in sand. You face real fears instead of made up ones. Example: I'll paraphrase from Gallwey's book.

"18th hole you have a 5' putt to shoot your BEST score ever, everyone one is gathered around watching with bated breath. You could hear a pin drop, cut the tension with a knife.

An alien from another planet walks up and asks why everyone is so concerned with what's going on? He's told if gets that white ball into that little hole he'll shoot his best round ever! Oh I see the alien says. So what happens if he misses? Does he get beaten with clubs to a bloody pulp? "No" he's told, "he shoots 73 instead of 72".

[Kball10]

This is a great thread and I am excited about working to incorporate this into my game. I am definitely guilty of thinking too much during my swing. A question - what is the right way to work on mechanical changes? For example, I need to get the low point of my swing more forward.

[wmblake2000]

This is a great thread and I am excited about working to incorporate this into my game. I am definitely guilty of thinking too much during my swing. A question - what is the right way to work on mechanical changes? For example, I need to get the low point of my swing more forward.

 

There's a whole other thread re this that inspired this thread. (Why people don't improve from practice, or something like that)

[jbw749]

Jim,

I've read that many people study zen, can do some of the exercises, but then loose interest and revert back to their old way of thinking. Is this what you see commonly? I wonder if it helps to have some affliction you are dealing with and you seek out MA to realize how profound it is?

 

The irony is, from the Buddha, is all of life is suffering. The second irony is, human beings have the capacity to bury/ignore their suffering (and thus, act out of it). I agree with those who believe they are fortunate to recognize their suffering, as it inspires a kind of quest that pays dividends, when done honestly.

 

I would describe my own life and process with meditation as most challenging (and more rewarding) aspiration of all I have done. In the process of growth, one encounters the whole truth of his/her being - the good, the bad, the ugly. The recognition of sublime beauty is not a trivial process - it requires the very best we can bring to the table over time to transform. This battle is at the heart of all religions.

 

In 2018, we are just beginning to grasp how consciousness works at a broader level. In the process, all kinds of popular notions spring up, most of which are tied to marketing a new car or something.

 

However, as we look at the prospect of 10 billion human beings on the planet in a few short years, and the impact of that incredible number of people has on the viability of humans, it is my personal belief that a large-scale embracing of the wisdom and sanity embedded in this kind of practice is critical for realistic hope for the future.

 

Way off topic. I don't go down this path here very often, but this seemed to be a little discussion where it's not just totally off-topic. (Well, yes it it. Apologies!)

Yep going a little Ken Wilber on us there? Haha nothing wrong with that.

 

[bladehunter]

To those wondering why people just don’t get right and take the fear away. ( appologize if I’m misunderstanding )

 

Just doesn’t work that way I’m afraid. “ getting your head right “ is such a subjective thing. Who’s head IS right ? What measure is used for that ?

 

Most of the hyper successful people in history have been described as borderline psychotic at certain times. It takes a unreasonable drive to overcome the fears described above. It’s not about “ getting your head right “ in terms of some sort of help to be “ normal “. Normal doesn’t exist. It’s a made up term to describe apathy in humans. Emotions like fear are healthy. IF we learn how to overcome it. The idea that “ normal “ people walk around “ happy “ without any issues is just false. There’s no getting right to avoid these. It’s deal with it as it comes. That’s the same as any human. I say that as old school as anyone. But from a place where my fight or flight is always fight. I almost have no flight in me. But yet I have fears galore pop up. I’ve just been forced to deal with them all my life. Nobody to coddle me and allow me to “ flee”.

 

I’ll stop my rant with this. My grandad who served in Europe and Japan in wwII attached to the 8th Air Force. Said this to me “ if anyone ever tells you they weren’t scared in war , they are a damn liar “... the man had 14 battle stars and enough points ( look up the points system ) to have gone home 8 months before the war ended. And he stayed. It’s not about eliminating fear. It’s about dealing with it.

 

You don't put your head in sand. You face real fears instead of made up ones. Example: I'll paraphrase from Gallwey's book.

"18th hole you have a 5' putt to shoot your BEST score ever, everyone one is gathered around watching with bated breath. You could hear a pin drop, cut the tension with a knife.

An alien from another planet walks up and asks why everyone is so concerned with what's going on? He's told if gets that white ball into that little hole he'll shoot his best round ever! Oh I see the alien says. So what happens if he misses? Does he get beaten with clubs to a bloody pulp? "No" he's told, "he shoots 73 instead of 72".

 

Exactly. Lol. Wow. I’ve told made up scenario stories like that to people in real time for years. And I always get the “ ok. This guys nuts “ look.

 

It’s also funny how I can know that and yet still didn’t apply it to putting until recently.