Tune into any PGA or LPGA broadcast and you’ll see crushed tee shots, crisp irons, precise wedges, and drained putts. You’ll see the best players in the world making the game look effortless—and you might walk away feeling pretty bad about your own game.
But look a little closer. You’ll also see wayward drives, mishit irons, chunked wedges, and missed four-footers. The takeaway is simple: what you’re looking for, you’ll find. And the consequences of where you choose to focus are significant.
Have you ever noticed that when you’re struggling, you automatically start collecting evidence that supports the story that you’re “in a slump,” “cold,” or “not _____ enough”? In sport, as in life, our perceptions often become our reality. When a performer—consciously or subconsciously—seeks information that supports existing beliefs and expectations, it’s called confirmation bias.
The issue isn’t just perception—it’s how it affects performance. Continually searching for information that confirms your limiting beliefs keeps you stuck. It prevents growth and reinforces the same unhelpful patterns. If I believe everyone else is better than I am, I’ll find proof of that everywhere I look. If I believe I’m the only one struggling, I’ll interpret every cue as confirmation.
Too often, I hear the word can’t:
“I can’t accomplish that.”
“I can’t improve.”
“I can’t break through.”
But what if you flipped the script?
What if you started looking for the cans?
“I can improve—with practice.”
“I can accomplish that—eventually.”
“I can pull that off.”
Once you change what you’re looking for, you change what you find.