If you have ever played with a Woven Finger Trap, you know that its simplicity is deceiving. While your mind says I’ve got this, your fingers feel stuck the moment you try to extricate them. The harder you try the more the trap tightens. The more you resist, the worse it gets. Eventually, you relax, lean in, and smoothly dislodge yourself.
Golf, both mentally and physically, operates like a Finger Trap. Think about a time when you start to struggle in a round. Mistakes compound and before you know it, your game (and your attitude) devolve. Once frustrated, you aggressively try to “fix” your game, try harder, and force it only to find that things get worse. Finally, you’ve had enough, declare the round “over” and give in. Magically, once you stop resisting and trying so hard, you string together a wildly different, much better stretch of golf. So, what’s the secret? Letting go and leaning in.
The best performers in any domain learn that the key to overcoming challenges is not fighting them, but rather letting go of rigid expectations. This reduces tension, doubt, and wasted emotional energy. Next time you face adversity, whether in golf or in life, remember the Finger Trap. Lean in, and you just might find the freedom you’ve been searching for. You will gain control over the puzzle rather than the puzzle controlling you. While you may not always achieve your desired result, you will gain a greater sense of freedom and control in those moments when you would have otherwise felt immobilized.
Can you think of a time when resisting and trying harder actually made things worse?
What happened when you let go?