One of my favorite hobbies – when I’m not at camp, thinking about camp, or planning for camp – is playing golf. I used to be pretty good. Now that our boys are grown up and (mostly) out of the house, I finally have some time to get back into the game.

Campers, one day you’ll realize that your memory of how good you used to be at something is often way better than your actual, very rusty skills when you try it again.

For example—when I was 12, my gaga game was ELITE. You knuckleheads wouldn’t have stood a chance. Not even close. 😉

The problem? I still think I’m that good. But no matter how hard I try, I haven’t won a single game at Weequahic. Ever. Definitely no longer “elite.”

Same thing goes for my golf skills. So, I’m taking lessons again. And because I love learning, I’ve been reading books about the mental side of the game. This week, I came across something so good that I had to share it. And yes—it totally connects to camp.

Changing Your Mindset: A Camp Lesson

In Golf Beneath the Surface, Dr. Raymond Prior talks about how we handle stressful situations by managing our beliefs. He explains that our reactions come from three things working together:

Activating Events – Something is about to happen that gets our system ‘revved up.’ Beliefs – What you tell yourself about it. Consequences – What that belief leads to, specifically on your thoughts and emotions.

These are the ABCs of your mind. Now, let’s think about this in a camp setting:

A Camp Dilemma

You’re coming back for your second summer. Last year was awesome—but there was one kid in your bunk you just didn’t get along with. And now, every time you think about camp, that’s all you focus on. Instead of remembering the amazing stuff, your brain gets stuck on that one not-so-great thing.

(Which, by the way, is totally normal. Back in the caveman days, remembering bad experiences – like almost getting eaten by a saber-tooth tiger – kept us alive. But now? Not so useful when deciding if camp will be fun.)

So, just thinking about returning to camp gets you all revved up. That’s your activating event. Your belief? “I can’t have fun if that kid is there.” The consequence? You start dreading camp instead of looking forward to it.

Questioning Your Beliefs

But here’s the big question: Is that belief even true? Can you really not have any fun if that one kid is around?

Its probably not true. I mean, camp is FULL of awesome things—friends, counselors, crazy games, campfires, canteen, no school, no tech, cookies. And so much more. One person shouldn’t take away all of that! And, that kid might have some other things going on that you don’t know about. Remember – everyone is carrying things inside that you can’t see.

So, once you decide if your belief isn’t true… the next question is, should you keep it?

The Power of Choice

This is where you get to decide. You can hold on to that belief—but only if you’re okay with the consequences.

But think about this: If your video game controller was totally busted and you had the chance to switch to a better one… wouldn’t you? Or if you were playing soccer and the ball was flat… wouldn’t you swap it out?

Of course, you would.

And you can do the same thing with your beliefs. If you realize a belief is wrong or keeping you from something great, you have the power to change it.

So, what will you choose?

ABCs of Life

Of course, this isn’t just about camp – it’s about life. One of the coolest superpowers we have as humans is the ability to think about what we’re thinking. We can question whether something is really true or just a story we’re telling ourselves.

Camp Dog Maverick? He doesn’t have that power. If you drop a hot dog at the Saturday night cookout, he’s not stopping to question his choices. He just eats it – zero hesitation, no deep thoughts about the future… or how sick he’ll get after four or five of them!

But you? You get to decide what beliefs to hold onto. So next time you feel nervous about a test, a piano recital, or asking a friend to hang out, and your brain whispers, “This is going to go terribly…” – STOP. Question that belief. Then change it into something that actually helps you get closer to what you want.

A-B-C. Not always as simple as 1-2-3, but way more powerful.

Have an awesome weekend!