Words are so powerful, especially the words we do not verbalize. My coaching clients consistently have opportunities to become more aware of their internal words and then to change them. This week I learned some great new words for doing just that.
Life (and Golf) is At Least 80% Mindset
I went to a great golf clinic (as part of WomenOnCourse, a wonderful networking group) this past week that was all about mindset; there was no mechanical instruction at all and yet I hit the ball farther and straighter and more consistently than ever (I just started learning to play). Sue Wieger is an amazing LPGA certified instructor (her site linked). She had a lot of great instruction on mindset; I credit a few key words and one little physical action to my large improvement in hitting the ball.
“That is so much like me!” and “That is so not like me!” were the powerful words used after a great hit and after a terrible hit (or miss). One statement used to reinforce and the other used to let it go. Amazing how impactful these words were! Especially since they replaced words like, “What was that? Or why do I always hit it over that way!? Or, why can’t I hit that #$%& ball?!”
The one little physical change was smiling at the ball. Prior to smiling I had fairly consistently hit the ball to the right. It magically straightened out completely with just a little smile. How is this explained? I have no idea, but I am smiling more.
Get-to vs. Have-to
A friend gave me some wonderful advice this week. She said that when I catch myself whining in my head that I have to do something to shift it into, “I get to do…” Sometimes this is a stretch but it always works. For example, picking up my dog’s poop always has me whining a bit. I shifted to, “I get to pick up his poop because he is my dog and he brings me so much unconditional love.” It really does work, give it a try!
Words have so much power; especially the words we use in our heads. Notice your words and then choose different words because you can. It just takes practice and persistence and some good replacement words when you mess up: “That is so not like me!” Love that, Thank you Sue!
photo credit: Feuillu via Flickr creative commons
Another great post, Paula!
Another good power word is “could.” Everytime you tell yourself, “I should clean the house”, or “I should get that blog done”, replace “should” with “could.” Saying “I could clean the house” or “I could get that blog done” gives you more power, it becomes a choice rather than a guilty chore.