In my previous blog I touched based on ideas centered around psychology--the feelings and emotions generated by playing poker and betting the horses. I also noted that the benefit of the whole cause-and-effect-relationship of emotion/reaction processes isn't simply confined to sports/gambling but also applies to life in general. In this entry I plan on taking a closer look at an exceptional sports icon and analyze how he converts seemingly negative emotion/reaction behavior into the ability to excel further in his associated discipline.

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Tiger Woods

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, the absolute superstar of golf. There is no doubt that emotions are a part of his game. He doesn't try to hide how he feels, he puts everything on the line and wears his emotions on his sleeve. So how does Tiger benefit from this incredible amount of emotions he releases?

Tiger is a wonderful example because of how often we get to see an emotion/reaction out of him. Bad drive? He slams his club. Bad putt? He takes off his hat and looks dumbfounded. Awesome shot? Fist pump. So how does he manage to handle so much varying emotion? It's incredibly simple...he understands his emotional output and has steps in place to deal with his various reactions.

How many of us are guilty of getting into an emotional situation and flying off the handle? There's yelling, crying, frustration. There's blame on others and hurtful words. Information isn't processed and kneejerk reactions are made. A chain reaction results from us not being able to keep our emotions in check...wait though, that's not true...that's just what people what you to believe. That's the easy way to deal with things. Stifling emotions isn't the answer, properly managing your emotions is.

Back to Tiger. He just hit a horrid shot. What is his way of coping?

The first step is obvious to see, he slams his club down in disgust. This is a means to relieve the anger, stress and tension immediately and an outlet for any strong ephemeral emotions.

The second step, he talks angerly towards himself, almost berating himself for such a terrible shot. Through the course of this personal tirade he will also reassure himself (e.g. "come on, you're better than that"). This acts as a means to acknowledge a mistake has been made and it's no one else's but his own. The supposed "negative reaction" is turned positive when he assures himself he can do better.

The third step, he stares straight forward and has a discussion with his caddie Steve Williams. This is where he purges any lingering emotions and tries to find the reasons for what happened. It is the cool down and refocus phase. After this third step he will be ready to approach the next shot with a clean (mind-wise) slate.

(Conversely, similar steps are taken to cope with overwhelmingly positive emotions. Step 1 would be an outward gesture (fist pimp, yelling, etc). Step 2 would be an affirmation of the nice effort and a mild humbling of yourself (nothing negative, but maybe a statement such as "okay, I did well, but there's still a lot of work to do"). Step 3 would remain the same.)

The things Tiger does do to manage his emotions are as important as the things Tiger does not do.

Tiger does not continue to beat himself up over previous shots. He may acknowledge that they happened, but he will never let those shots creep into his psyche later on.

Tiger does not scoff or berate his playing partner and does not let his opponent's shot influence him. As a matter of fact, he really doesn't even pay much attention to his opponent's shot after his own mistake. This is very important because your opponent's shots/attitude should never have an influence on you. If you find yourself piquing with anger because of actions of your opponent then you have a long way to go. An opponent affecting you can quickly become a long and vicious cycle.

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Once you understand how to manage your emotions you will be able to focus your emotional energy into positive thought/feedback and excel even further than you ever imagined. The possibilities are endless. Focused emotional energy will give you great perspective of your abilities and incredible power over yourself. Your thoughts will be clearer and your actions more decisive. You will be decidedly more assured before AND after each endeavor.

Don't be ashamed of emotion. It serves a purpose. Don't shy away from it. Use it as a tool for your own personal improvement. Confront it face-to-face and take the time to analyze/understand it and in turn form the steps necessary to handle it.

Know It. Understand It. Handle It. Unlock your maximum potential.

--Pye