The (Inner) games you play
Atomic ideas from the book 'The Inner Game of Tennis’
Everything in life is a game.
And every game that we play is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game.
The outer game is played against an external opponent to overcome external obstacles, and to reach an external goal.
The inner game is what “takes place in the mind of the player, and it is played against such obstacles as lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation.”
The ultimate battle is between one’s inner and outer selves - sharing key ideas from the book ‘The Inner Game of Tennis’ by Timothy Gallwey.
The book has many interesting insights (beyond tennis) that helps one get the right perspective on improving one’s performance.
It’s not about the tennis. It’s not about the win or the loss; if we’re here to experience, then we are free.’
Good news first: We all are champions of our inner games.
We just need to unlearn those habits which interfere with it and then to just let it happen.
5 key atomic ideas from the book The Inner Game of Tennis
The two selves.
There are 2 minds within us: Self 1 and Self 2
Self 1 is the Teller and Self 2 is the Doer.
Self 2 includes unconscious mind and nervous system. It hears everything, never forgets anything.
The typical relationship between the selves is a bad one.
Within each player the kind of relationship that exists between Self 1 and Self 2 is the prime factor in determining one’s ability to translate his knowledge of technique into effective action. In other words, the key to better tennis—or better anything—lies in improving the relationship between the conscious teller, Self 1, and the natural capabilities of Self 2.
Fundamentally we have to quiet Self 1 as much as possible and let Self 2 take over.
Building a good relationship between selves
For a good relationship between the selves, the mind (Self 1) must be quiet.
When a player is at his best, he doesn’t think or judge. He plays “automatically.” These moments are called “peak experiences” by the psychologist Abraham Maslow.
The first skill is letting go of the judgment we make of our performances.
Letting Go of Judgements
Judging means assigning a positive or a negative value to an event.
To let go of judgments, you should become like an umpire: call it out when it’s out, call it in when it’s in. Nothing is good, nothing is bad. It’s just out or in.
Why shouldn’t you judge? Because judging wakes up the mind.
When you describe something as negative, you think about how to improve it, then you try again, you evaluate, and Self 1 takes the job of Self 2.
The errors you make are part of the developing process.
Analogy: when a flower grows, you don’t judge it for being an ugly seed at first.
Seeing, Feeling, and Awareness of what is
It’s not that I don’t know what to do, it’s that I don’t do what I know!
If we hope to learn tennis well, we need to see and feel what we do. To do so, we need not judge.
We learn best when we feel and observe what we do when we do it. Because we don’t judge, Self 1 doesn’t get in the way so Self 2 works and improves the action – and we get better. This is the natural learning process.
Don’t try to correct the fault. Let yourself improve through practice and observation.
How to program the selves?
Reminder: Self 1 is the Teller and Self 2 is the Doer.
Learn to program Self 2 by using Images and Feeling.
Learn to trust Self 2 to do what Self 1 (you) have asked.
Learn to see yourself non-judgementally. Our ego is Self 1 and we continuously judge Self 2 for not doing something correctly, we need to learn to not judge.
The constant thinking that Self 1 does causes interference in natural doing process of Self 2. Once we learn to quiet Self 1 we can reach peak performance.
What about Positive Thinking?
Don’t. You are again judging 🙂
Compliments involve Self 1 in Self 2’s work.
So, don’t compliment yourself. Remain un-judgemental.
Not judging is the first skill to develop.
The primary role of Self 1 is to set goals for Self 2, then to let Self 2 perform.
Programing for results
Programing for results means visualizing the desired purpose and then letting the body do the work.
It establishes trust between Self 1 and 2.
Re-learning
The Usual Way of Learning
Criticize or judge what you’ve done in the past.
Tell yourself to change
Try hard, force yourself to do it right.
Criticize yourself for failing and try harder
The Inner Game Way of Learning
Observe existing behavior without judging.
Self 1 asks Self 2 to change
Program with visualization and feel.
Observation results without judgment and repeat until the behavior is acquired.
Happy playing (inner) games!
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Similar to system 1/2 from thinking fast and slow?