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Page 26 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — May 6-May 19, 2015
Property Management
I will never forget the
recent 2015 Masters golf
tournament where Jor-
don Spieth, 21 years old, led
from start to finish, and won
the coveted Green Jacket. Each
evening, with apprehension, I
would turn on the Golf Chan-
nel to see whether Spieth had
succumbed to the pressure and
choked. But he didn’t. In fact,
Spieth tied the tournament
record Tiger Woods set when
he was 21, and shot the lowest
54-hole score in Masters history.
I am in absolute awe that Spi-
eth was able to compete with
the world’s best golfers, under
the media’s constant barrage
of commentary, and play with
little fear and such high confi-
dence and composure.
When I played competitive
golf, I carried a 2-foot piece of
garden hose as my 14th club
that I would, more often than
not, need to insert down my
throat so that I could breathe
while choking under the pres-
sure! And that was when I was
on the driving range before the
match. While embarrassing, it
really worked, especially on the
18th hole with a 2-foot putt to
win. And there is absolutely
no worse feeling than standing
over a short putt and know-
ing you do not have a chance
to make it. Over the years, I
have purchased more putters,
rationalizing that my putting
problems (yips) were due to my
putters, and not my mindset. I
have tried putting cross-hand-
ed and every other imaginable
grip known to golf to help me
make the 2-footer under pres-
sure. I even tried closing my
eyes when I putted. And I con-
fess, owning more than 20 put-
ters is another
clear sign of
choking. And
don’t get me
started on the
fearful shank.
I broke out in
a cold sweat
just think-
ing about the
tournament
I lost when I
cold-shanked
my approach
on the 18th
hole into a
pond. I made a double bogey
and lost by one stroke.
As every golfer knows, the
most well known cliché is that
the game is 90 percent mental,
which means that the game is
largely emotional – it’s about
trusting and believing in your-
self and playing good golf
under pressure. Choking is hav-
ing thoughts go through your
mind that should not be there
during “the excitement of the
moment.” I am fascinated with
the dreaded “C” word. There
is so much to be learned by
studying choking, and I have
experienced it and have studied
it intensely. And I still carry my
trusty “no choke” 2-foot garden
hose device, and have used it
on and off the course for the
past 25 years.
Now while most of us will
never have the opportunity to
compete at the Masters, I do
believe that we currently have,
or will, encounter moments
where we find out whether we
can endure well in the midst of
great trials and tragedies. In the
excitement of the moments how
are we going to handle the pres-
sure? Will we endure it well,
which is not to be confused with
merely “tying a knot” at the end
of our rope and just holding on.
We are all going to have ups
and downs. We must figure out,
beforehand, how we are going
to deal when the “excitement of
the moment” confronts us. Will
we be able to adapt to the situ-
ation and finish the task with
confidence and composure? Or
will we revert to the Velcro strip
on our wrist – attached to our
foreheads, commiserating and
grieving our round and lot in
life, choking and admitting that
we swallowed the apple.
In addition to my trusty “no
choke” 2-foot garden hose, I
share with you four additional
antichoke shots that I acquired
over the years, which help me
negate my tendency to choke in
the excitement of my moments:
1. Discern quickly the begin-
nings of discord. If a person
says or does something that
I consider offensive, my first
obligation is to refuse to take
offense and then communicate
privately, honestly and directly
with that individual.
2. I must control my temper
and disposition, even when I
am provoked. I try never to get
angry, but treat others mildly.
There is absolutely no place in
the workplace or in the home
for anger. Neal A. Maxwell
provided this wise counsel,
“Anger should never be offered
a seat or invited to sit down,
and should never be an over-
night guest.” No one can make
us angry. It is our choice. We
can absolutely choose to refrain
from becoming angry; to leave
unsaid the harsh and hurtful
Steven S.
Sessions
CEO, Sessions Group
LLC, Denver
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