Has this happened to you? You are ready to compete in golf (or baseball), but suddenly you lose your nerve, choke, freeze, maybe break out in a cold sweat even thinking about competing. The bottom line is you just can’t do it – part of you wants to move forward and part of you has both feet on the brakes. Here is a great tip to overcome what’s holding you back, get back your nerve and get back on track.

First, you need to understand analytically that you have what it takes to succeed – the skills, ability and experience. You probably do well in practice and you’ve probably succeeded in competition. Analytically you understand that whatever happened that resulted in you losing your nerve shouldn’t stop you from moving on.

But, you get frustrated, angry, guilty and so do those around you. What’s happened is that you have a problem with the mental game, you formed a belief that is holding you back.

What can you do about it?

Every problem has a solution. Here is a mental game tip you can try to get your nerve back.

Write down what happened that made you lose your nerve (if you think you know). Even if you don’t know, write down what happens when you try to compete. Draw a big red circle around it and then a line through it. Then DESTROY that paper – rip it up into confetti, burn it, whatever completely gets rid of it. As you are doing that, tell what’s on that paper that it’s done, finished, deleted, destroyed, whatever sounds good. What you are doing is communicating with the imagination part of your mind, that’s where beliefs are stored.

Then, write down the reasons you should be able to succeed (keep it positive – not why you shouldn’t be having the problem). Include successful experiences. After you’ve written them down, read them out loud. Then, close your eyes and picture (or imagine) doing those things successfully. Fold that paper and put it in your golf bag, baseball bag, even your back pocket. It’s a way of reminding your imagination mind that you have what it takes to succeed.