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To Manage Your Emotions Is To Perpetuate Them

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You have heard the advice of keep your head up, and keep a positive body language, and force a smile on your face, and keep a cool head.

You have also heard of managing your emotions.

You have certainly known managers in your life. How well-liked are they? How efficient are they? You have heard of world-class businessmen. World-class athletes. World-class CEOs. World-class artists.

Have you ever heard of a world-class manager? World-class managers live within the theories of academia. For managing anything leads to a manipulation of it. And that which is manipulated gets taken away from its natural source.

What if it were up to you to manage your heartbeat? Would you still be alive?

What if it were up to you to manage your respiration? Would you still be breathing? What if it were up to you to manage your digestion? Would you be appropriately nourished? What if it were up to you to manage your brain activity? Would you still be intelligent?

Think of all the things that are NOT up to you. The things that happen of their own accord. Are they not wonderfully efficient in their self-managed state? Unmanaged by you?

Now think of all the things that are up to you. Things that you directly control and manipulate and regulate and MANAGE. Your relationships, your decisions, your strategies, your financial choices, your parenting methods, your attempts at happiness, your attempts at success, and so on. How does their efficiency compare to that which goes unmanaged in your life?

There is an enormous amount of appreciation for the fact that some athletes, though they may be writhing in emotional discontent on the inside, are able to present an acceptable face on the outside. They are able to demonstrate a semblance of keeping it together. In fact, this is actually being taught to athletes. That no matter how you feel on the inside, just don’t let it show on the outside.

If an athlete is feeling it on the inside, he might as well let it show on the outside. For in letting it show, he will let it go. Let him break every club in his bag. Let him throw his caddie into the lake. Let him scream at his coach.

The effects upon the athlete’s performance are a function of what he feels on the INSIDE, regardless of whether he CHOOSES to manifest it on the outside.

When an athlete is playing his best, is it because he manufactures a calm face on the outside, or is it because he feels calm on the inside? Is it because he keeps it together, or is it because he is together?

The INSIDE is the only side that matters. The inside is what the athlete reacts to. The inside determines how he performs.

Dealing with emotions or managing emotions is to settle in for a life-long fight. Because you will not have addressed the source of the emotional turmoil, you will be doomed by it forever.

In understanding one’s mind, one understands the seat of emotional strife. He begins to unravel the maze of complexity that has been his life for decades.

In the work I do, I choose not to add things to human beings, but to subtract things from them. Subtract that which they have accumulated in their endless attempts at fixing and concealing and dealing and managing.

In this way, I can have the professional athlete return to his fundamental state. Like when he was a child, and all that was done was done naturally.

When there was no need to manage anything. When anything that came, left just as easily.

That which is managed is perpetuated. That which is managed gets destroyed.

When one’s conflicts and inner struggles are explored and examined, they begin to disintegrate.

When they are managed and manipulated, they grow roots within the human being.

Is it not time to unravel and dismantle the very force that has been managing YOU for so many years?

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Dr. Gupta is the founder of Siddha Performance, a company that teaches human beings to transcend their own mind in order to access the source of superhuman performance. Dr. Gupta has devoted close to 30 years of his life developing understandings and techniques that allow human beings to transcend the mind. Through his analysis and experimentation he has discovered that ultimate freedom and ultimate performance arise NOT from within the mind, but beyond it. Dr. Gupta can be contacted directly at [email protected] His work and his writings can be found at http://www.siddhaperformance.com/ He also appears weekly on PGA Tour's "On the Mark" radio show with Mark Immelman.

15 Comments

15 Comments

  1. Progolfer

    Mar 10, 2015 at 10:46 pm

    I completely agree with everything Dr. Gupta has written on this site. He essentially advocates playing this sport for the pure love and joy of it (and also, living this life for the pure love and joy of it as well). I believe this article deals with negative emotions, and in assuming that, he’s 100% correct. Attempting to change the outside without changing the inside is futile.

  2. Marc

    Mar 10, 2015 at 5:41 pm

    Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga glunga… gunga, gunga galunga. It fits the tripe you write with every article. Please do us all a favor… go back to spending all of your valuable time with high profile clients and don’t waste it on us that don’t get it. Please!

  3. farmer

    Mar 10, 2015 at 11:17 am

    What this guy seems to be saying is that it is acceptable, even desirable, for a player to throw a tantrum on the golf course when he gets mad. Try that when you get pulled over for speeding. Pseudo Eastern mysticism, pop physcology gone bad.

    • BD57

      Mar 10, 2015 at 5:42 pm

      No, what he’s saying is (1) performance depends on how you deal with your emotions, not on whether others can discern what emotions you’re experiencing based on your behavior, and (2) right now, we’re teaching people to put on a pretty face when they’re upset, rather than teaching them how to deal with being upset.

  4. Neige

    Mar 9, 2015 at 9:53 pm

    In North America people like cool demeanor. After living here for almost 20 years I like it, too. However, it’s refreshing to watch people who are very natural. A lot of people are like zombies it seems – managing their reactions too much.

  5. Ben

    Mar 9, 2015 at 1:29 pm

    What we’re really talking about here is emotional intelligence. I wrote a paper about this in college. It’s not about hiding, masking or covering up your emotions rather changing how you interpret outside influences and being mindful of your reaction. Once you are aware of emotional triggers you can choose how you react perhaps by altering your perspective.

  6. Marknado

    Mar 7, 2015 at 11:30 am

    Outbursts like throwing clubs and cursing lowers stress level but anger lowers iq ….
    It’s a catch 22
    I’d say stay calm and address the problem and try to solve it but when all else fails
    Whatever feels good at the time, do it

  7. shimmy

    Mar 7, 2015 at 11:25 am

    I don’t know about your kid(s)…

    with mine things come naturally, but the ONLY way they leave is when his emotions are managed, whether that be through my acceptance of what he’s going through or his getting worn out from learning that whining won’t get him anything.

    WRX, why are you posting articles by these under-qualified performance gurus?

  8. Martin

    Mar 7, 2015 at 8:46 am

    Stupid article, I am a hothead by nature.

    As I have matured, I have learned to manage my emotions in my personal life, work life and on the Golf course and I am better at all three for it.

    The stupid part of the article is without learning to manage them on the inside, you can’t control them on the outside.

    Why is this posted on a golf website at all.

    • Marknado

      Mar 7, 2015 at 11:25 am

      what happens when the wife burns supper

      • Martin

        Mar 7, 2015 at 9:12 pm

        Nothing, I do all the cooking.

        I am a Hothead by nature, but long ago stopped actually being one.

        It’s called maturity…grin

  9. SRSLY

    Mar 7, 2015 at 7:29 am

    Ignore my previous comment, answered my own questions by visiting this guys site. He mentions disagreeing with modern psychology.

    So I’m guessing your MD isn’t in psychology? The only doctor I could find online with your name is a gastroenterologist.

    Care to share some truths?

  10. SRSLY

    Mar 7, 2015 at 7:20 am

    Couple questions:

    1. Has forcing a smile or laugh not been scientifically proven to improve mood? Why wouldn’t forcing a calm demeanor?

    2. How can you honestly suggest breaking clubs and throwing a tantrum in a game of honor and respect?

    3. Do your statements have any scientific backing in the field of psychology? Or are we simply taking “normal” psychology and jazzing it up with buzzwords to sell it to the field of golf athletes?

    4. One of these questions is rhetorical. See if you can figure out which one?

    • shimmy

      Mar 7, 2015 at 11:25 am

      This may be the perfect reply to this article.

  11. J

    Mar 6, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    Bah, more of the same statements. Your articles all have the same smell. Good or bad it’s up to each person to decide, but it’s all the same to me.

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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