| Are you a golfer who attempts to improve the golf | | | | instructions but the slice still persisted. |
| swing by instructing, "Don't..." | | | | Finally, I told him, "I've an idea. Instead of thinking |
| "Don't slice." | | | | about your slice the rest of the day, let's think about |
| "Don't hook." | | | | hitting the golf ball perfectly, even if you do slice the |
| "Don't hit it into the water." | | | | ball. Want to give it a try?" |
| "Don't hit it into the sand trap." | | | | My friend shrugged, as if to say, "That's the best |
| I think we're all familiar with this approach. | | | | you can offer me?" |
| What happens instantaneously? The mind immediately | | | | He sliced again. And, he sliced again. |
| forms an image of the very thing you don't want to | | | | He looked at me and said, "This isn't doing any good." |
| take place on the golf course. | | | | "Forget about it, Richard," I said. "You don't care |
| It's the old elementary school trick of "Don't think of | | | | about the slice anymore. All you care about is the |
| a pink elephant." The negative becomes an action in | | | | perfect golf swing. You intellectually know all the |
| the positive. In other words, the negative formulates | | | | mechanics. Picture them being executed perfectly in |
| a sense of being. | | | | your mind. When the slice pops into your head, |
| I was playing with a friend not long ago, and I | | | | substitute it with the perfect golf swing." |
| noticed he was falling victim to the "Don't" disease. | | | | It took awhile, but on the 17th hole he hit the shot |
| He was focused on his slice. It consumed the early | | | | he was lusting after. On the 18th, he did it again. |
| part of the day and was a major point of discussion. | | | | I'm certainly not saying this will solve all the problems |
| He wanted some advice on how to rid himself of it | | | | on the golf course with your golf swing. But, it's a |
| once and for all. We went through the standard | | | | good start. |