In golf, one poor shot can trigger a state of mind that leads to a run of poor shots. I hit my drive into the bunker. In frustration, I try a more difficult shot than I should, and put it in another bunker. I then try and hit it extra hard to reach the green in 3… and leave it in the bunker.
Chess international master Josh Waitzkin says that the moment when a chess player really loses the game is when they think they are ahead, and after a move they realise that maybe their position is not so strong. The next move will be too aggressive because they are anchored on the emotional sense of being ahead.
A professional learns to forget the past and play the shot or the move that they have in front of them. An amateur compounds the error.
One poor shot does not ruin a golf round… unless you let it.
The same occurs in life.
Do you let one mistake lead to three more?
On a diet… one biscuit leads to 3 more? …that’s how to screw it up.
Do you tend to let one mistake lead to 3 more?