Optimism and an Attitude of Gratitude

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

Many golfers can fall into negative thinking patterns after a few bad shots or when they’re not playing well. They struggle to see things turning around and they think it is likely that more poor play will continue. This is called pessimism, where your tendency is to focus on the negatives in any situation. This outlook brings more negative experiences towards you and without a sense that the future will be better, it’s unlikely that you will handle them well.  

Optimists on the other hand, see an undesirable event or situation as temporary and believe that something good is around the corner.

In his book, “Learned Optimism”, Martin Seligman, considered to be the “father of positive psychology”, says that optimists achieve more, have better overall health, and have a more enjoyable life.

How to develop more optimism

“Optimism is a foundational pillar for mental toughness”. – Performance Psychologist, Michael Gervais

Although some people are naturally more optimistic, research by Seligman suggests that optimism is trainable with simple exercises and awareness. At the end of each day, write down 3 good things that happened. With repetition of this exercise, you’ll find yourself automatically searching for positives throughout the day and becoming more optimistic when you are faced with adversity. Being able to keep a positive outlook time is key to improving mental toughness and developing a winning attitude.

You’ll find the same exercise as part of my “Post Round Review” in Module 6, where you will be writing down at least 3 positive things about the round. You can do it in your Post Shot Routine too – try to find a positive in every shot, instead of focusing on the negative.  You’ll notice that with continued prompting of what is positive about a situation, you’ll begin to expect good things to happen in the future and they will be brought towards you. This attitude will help you navigate challenges on and off the course as you will be searching for solutions and possibilities, instead of focusing on the obstacles and your limitations.

Gratitude

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Cicero

Whereas optimism is more forward looking, gratitude is about appreciating what you have now. Whatever is happening in a round of golf, there is something to be grateful for. By exercising gratitude, you trigger the release feel-good chemicals such as Serotonin and Dopamine.

To begin, let’s put the game of golf in perspective. For most of us that play golf, it is a game that we choose to do for fun. Whatever score you shoot, you are still playing golf. You are invariably in a beautiful setting and you are healthy enough to play.

Your life could be far worse than playing the game you love. You could have health problems, not be in a financial position to play or live in a place with no access to golf. This doesn’t mean that you casually stroll around the course and lose the desire to perform well, but if you find yourself focusing on the negatives, remind yourself of where you are and what you are doing. Feel the sun, look at the trees and feel the grass beneath your feet. With the right perspective, life can always be good on the golf course.