Tiger Woods - Born To Reign

Some time ago in a post we spoke about 'The Tiger Woods Effect'.

Here is an extract from a biography of Tiger I came across recently which shows the power of positive affirmations.

Tiger was a kid but not in the traditional sense. When he was only six, he listened to tape recordings with subliminal messages to help him develop a stronger sense of self-control and discipline. Earl (Tiger’s father) had seen them in a store and bought them for his son, carefully explaining why he should listen to them. The boy understood. He played them on a cassette player in his room, hearing only the flow of water down a creek, or soft music, but the messages began to imbue themselves in his sub-conscious.

I will my own destiny.

I believe in me.

I smile at obstacles.

I am firm in my resolve.

I fulfil my resolutions powerfully.

My strength is great.

I stick to it, easily, naturally.

My will moves mountains.

I focus and give it my all.

My decisions are strong.

I do it with all my heart.

These messages were inscribed on paper as well, and he tacked them to the walls of his room as reinforcement. He listened to the tapes so often he wore them out. He began to apply them instantly. He was still only six when he went to the Optimist Junior World ‘ten and under’ division at Presidio Hills in San Diego, his first international tournament. At the first tee, his father reassured him that whether he won or lost was not the point – either way he should have fun. Tiger then ripped his shot down the middle.

Later Earl asked Tiger what he was thinking about as he stood over the ball on the first tee. “Where I wanted the ball to go, Daddy,” he said, shocking his unsuspecting father, who wasn’t sure the subliminal messages would take hold so quickly. The negative thoughts that invade the minds of young, uncertain athletes were not there. Tiger was nervous – even today he acknowledges an uneasy stomach at the first tee – but he suppressed his nervousness by visualising the shot, an instrumental part of professional golfer’s routine.

(John Strege – from Tiger: A Biography of Tiger Woods)

And here is Tiger doing what he does best at the age of two!!