Consistency struggle

[Al Schoonmaker]

The first thing you MUST realize is that everybody, absolutely everybody, has a "struggle with consistency." I have read countless assertions that we should "always play our best game," and they are all BS.
Why do I take such an aggressive position? Because it is utterly impossible to always play your best. Giving people advice that is impossible to follow is BS.
Everything about you varies, even your heart rate and blood pressure. Everybody's performance varies. Tiger Woods shoots some bad rounds. Fine hitters go 0 for 14. Certainly, you should TRY to play your best every time, but you and I and every top professional will have days we play badly. I can remember playing so poorly one night that, even though I won a few dollars, I called Matt Lessinger to vent my anger at myself.
The specific suggestions that appear in the rest of this thread are excellent advice, especially the ones about imagining others reviewing your play.
But the most important advice I can give you is to accept that you're human, and being human ALWAYS means that your performance will vary, and you will occasionally play badly.
In other words, don't beat yourself up too badly.
And, when you get down on yourself, call a buddy to talk about it.
Regards,
Al