Golf.

The pain brain often sabotages a golfer's mind.

I recently reread the book Vision54.

Thinking about swing mechanics while standing over the ball will leave you feeling teed off—caught in an emotional trap and in a hole that's too deep.

Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, the authors of Vision54, teach the power of separating your process into the Think Box and the Play Box.

The Think Box is for the thinking brain. Consider the wind, the lie, and your strategy. This is where you make your decisions.

Once you cross the decision line into the Play Box, it's time to switch to your sensory, feeling side. There should be no more analysis—only total commitment to the shot.

The ball is your first target. Where it lands is the second.

Making a commitment to the shot means keeping it—even when discomfort questions it.

If you aren't comfortable, don't force it. Step back out. Keep your planning in the Think Box so you can stay purely instinctual in the Play Box.

This simple but not easy distinction is one you can practice every day and apply to almost any sport—or any area of life.

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