As I was sitting down to write this blog post, I had a golf tournament on in the background. Even though I don't play golf, the game fascinates me because of the mindset required to consistently be a good golfer. This day, it wasn't the golf match itself that was interesting. It was one of the advertisements. "This club is too wobbly." "Someone sneezed just as I started my shot." "The wind changed directions on me." "The grass is too wet." On and on the self-talk yammered, and I quickly identified the same kind of getting in my head that I have experienced in water skiing, business presentations, and other pressure-filled moments. For a fleeting moment, I though perhaps a famous sports psychologist had decided to advertise how to get out of your head to the national golf audience. I should have known better! Nope, the ad was for a seller of golf equipment. The pitch: Buy our stuff and you won't have to make excuses anymore. In a nutshell, that is the bill of goods we have been sold across the board on how to deal with stress and pressure. It goes like this: If you don't like the way [whatever thing is causing you stress] is making you feel, then buy our [super-duper product, car, drug, job, food or bubble bath.] Remember "Calgon, take me away"? It was a bath powder that was advertised in the late 1970's. The ad starts all the stress of traffic, the boss, ...