Driving With Attitude: Speak To Yourself Boldly... And Swing A Big Stick!

You're driving along the freeway smoothly and comfortably. You're in the left hand faster moving lane, and you see you're coming up on a slower moving vehicle who's impeding your flow. 鈥淐-mon; what is this鈥?you exhort. 鈥淲hat the hell is he doing in this lane!鈥? And with that, you firmly decide 鈥淥k -- time to pass him.鈥? And, checking carefully the oncoming traffic to your right, you flip your turn signal, eagerly give it the 鈥済as鈥? pass by the slow poke, and return back into your lane 鈥?where you're again gliding along smoothly.

Scenario #2

You see the two lane road you're on is only relatively congested. You're driving along loosely and comfortably at the posted speed limit. In your rear view mirror you notice there's a guy just randomly weaving from lane to lane 鈥?seemingly for the sole purpose of picking up car lengths. Why? You reason because it's more convenient than driving appropriately like all the other cars you see.

You notice he's almost cutting off some of those he's seemingly indifferently winding around. And as you see him coming up toward you, you decide 鈥淵a' know what - no; he's not cutting me off -- convenience or not!鈥?

You're approaching a red light about 150 yards up the street and you see he's almost bumper to bumper with the car just ahead of you in the right hand lane; he's trying to position himself so he can next conveniently bolt in front of you. So - feeling in control and decisive - you move ahead to parallel with the car a bit ahead of you, come to comfortably coast to stop at the light, and then proceed through the intersection, to easily turn left into the mini mall parking lot where you had planned to have your lunch.

Scenario #3

You're a bit behind schedule driving to an appointment. You reason you're not 鈥渢hat鈥?far behind, but don't want to fall any further behind. You're approaching a big intersection you're familiar with, and you know it's a long wait red light.

The light is green, and as you begin approaching the point of no return (where you can't stop and must proceed through), the light turns yellow. 鈥淯hhh鈥an 鈥? Nah, I'm goin' for it; I'll make it though safely and efficiently.鈥? And with resolve and confidence, you go on to prove your calculation right by moving through the intersection while the light is still yellow.

Are scenarios 1-3 examples of driving with reckless abandon 鈥?disregarding the safety of yourself and others? No. They're examples of driving with attitude: you decide the result you want. You decide what you'll do to produce it. You become fueled by the conviction to do it. And then you firmly, decisively act. Driving with attitude!

Driving On The Golf Course

It's interesting that this same driving with attitude concept applies when you play golf. To hit long, straight, solid drives (the kind you know you really can, and feel you should), you must have a certain pre- execution attitude. And it's not a 鈥淯h, let's 鈥榮ee' what we can do here鈥? 鈥淚 鈥榟ope' I don't slice, chunk or shank鈥? 鈥淟et me 鈥榯ry' to control my body, control my swing, control the ball's distance and direction鈥? situation. No.

It's a driving with attitude situation. What is this attitude comprised of? Just like the car driving scenarios 1-3, golf driving with attitude is composed of the very same tenets; you decide the result you want. You decide what you'll do to produce it. You become fueled by the conviction to do it. And then you firmly, decisively act. Driving with attitude!

No 鈥淟et's see鈥? No 鈥淲ell, I'll 鈥榯ry' to crank one鈥? No 鈥淚 don't want to mess up, and wind up in the rough (or the trees)鈥? It's a matter of directing your mentality with attitude: 鈥淭here's my outcome point upon the fairway. And now I'm gonna smoothly generate a totally committed, fluid power stroke which fully drives my ball to that point. Yeah -- I'm goin' for it; I've successfully done this so many times before-- and I'm gonna do it as successfully right now鈥oo!鈥?

Then, with this attitude freely flowing through and exclusive in your mind, take 1-2 practice strokes, set up to your ball, briefly laser in again upon your outcome point down the fairway. And then - who'lly re-focusing upon the ball - begin your backswing, downswing, contact, and follow-through!

That's how you drive with attitude. No 鈥渕amby-pamby鈥?trying 鈥渘ot鈥?to fail, overprotective calculating. But a solid and targeted sense of:

鈥?What you want

鈥?What you'll do to get it

鈥?Reinforcing a success impact idea through your mind which stimulates sensations of conviction, confidence, and determination to unfold through you. Then, purposefully acting 鈥?singularly fueled by this success impact idea, and its accompanying emotional energy.

What Are Your Options?

Well, let's see. You could 鈥渃hoose鈥?to drive with tentativeness. Un-sureness. A mental split between part of you wanting to go for it, and another part wanting even more not to flub or fail. Or, the ever popular 鈥淲ell -- I'll just give it a whack, and 鈥榮ee what happens here'.鈥? (Uh鈥hy would you ever 鈥渃hoose鈥?this 鈥?or tolerate it?!)

Don't just say to yourself 鈥淗mmm 鈥?let's just 鈥榮ee' what happens.鈥? Determine, clearly and decisively, what will happen -- and consummately mean it! Say it in your mind, feel it in your heart, and let its accompanying energy fuel your stroke. From now on, before you execute each drive, do not let yourself swing filled with 鈥渓ow-grade鈥?mental octane. No, from now on, my friend, drive filled with super grade鈥TTITUDE!鈥?

Author, clinician, and national TV therapist, Pete Siegel is America's foremost sports hypnotherapist. Golf Digest named him to their "Top 25 Mental Game Practitioners List" Go ahead now, and review his highly acclaimed "Super Mental Toughness For Golf," And "Bringing Forth The Zone" mental game success programs at http://www.incrediblechange.com