Episode #352: Boost Your Mental Game Before the New Year

One of the most powerful tools for improving your mental game is something simple, but often overlooked—documenting your wins, both on and off the course.

It’s natural to focus on mistakes, missed opportunities, or bad rounds, especially for golfers. However, this tendency to fixate on the negative is a perfect example of negativity bias—a psychological phenomenon where our brains give more weight to negative experiences than positive ones. This bias can make it harder to stay motivated, keep perspective, and enjoy the game.

The key to overcoming negativity bias is to actively counterbalance those negative thoughts with documented wins. By writing down or recording your successes, whether it's a great shot, a mental breakthrough, or even personal achievements unrelated to golf, you’re shifting your focus away from what went wrong and towards what went right.

This simple practice helps rewire your brain, making it easier to see the positive aspects of your game and your life. Start by keeping a win journal where you jot down three things that went well each day, whether it’s a key moment in your round or something you accomplished off the course—like sticking to your practice routine or achieving a fitness goal.

Over time, this will help you build a more balanced view of your progress. When you start focusing on wins, big or small, you begin to see them as a natural part of your journey, rather than outliers. In doing so, you’ll not only improve your mental game but also experience more confidence and a greater sense of accomplishment both on and off the course.