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June 1 - June 4, 2020
conversations between ‘I’ (the conscious self/the person who gives the instructions) and ‘myself’ (the unconscious, automatic self/the person who performs the action).
it’s not about winning or losing the match, it’s about ‘making the maximum effort during every point because I realize that that is where the true value lies.’
neither mastery nor satisfaction can be found in the playing of any game without giving some attention to the relatively neglected skills of the inner game. This is the game that 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 secret to winning any game lies in not trying too hard.
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.
learning of several internal skills: 1) learning how to get the clearest possible picture of your desired outcomes; 2) learning how to trust Self 2 to perform at its best and learn from both successes and failures; and 3) learning to see “nonjudgmentally”—that is, to see what is happening rather than merely noticing how well or how badly it is happening. This overcomes “trying too hard.” All these skills are subsidiary to the master skill, without which nothing of value is ever achieved: the art of relaxed concentration.
Perfectly, thoughtlessly executed action, and afterward, no self-congratulations, just the reward inherent in his action:
Quieting the mind means less thinking, calculating, judging, worrying, fearing, hoping, trying, regretting, controlling, jittering or distracting. The mind is still when it is totally here and now in perfect oneness with the action and the actor.
letting go the human inclination to judge ourselves and our performance as either good or bad.
judgments are our personal, ego reactions to the sights, sounds, feelings and thoughts within our experience.
First the mind judges the event, then groups events, then identifies with the combined event and finally judges itself.
letting go of judgments does not mean ignoring errors. It simply means seeing events as they are and not adding anything to them.
Judgment results in tightness, and tightness interferes with the fluidity required for accurate and quick movement. Relaxation produces smooth strokes and results from accepting your strokes as they are, even if erratic.
When the mind is free of any thought or judgment, it is still and acts like a mirror. Then and only then can we know things as they are.
without seeing other events as not positive or as negative. There is no way to stop just the negative side of the judgmental process. To see your strokes as they are, there is no need to attribute goodness or badness to them.
There is a more natural process of learning and performing waiting to be discovered.
Remember that you are not your tennis game. You are not your body. Trust the body to learn and to play, as you would trust another person to do a job, and in a short time it will perform beyond your expectations.
is the attitude of respect based on true recognition of its natural intelligence and capabilities.
Getting the clearest possible image of your desired outcomes is a most useful method for communicating with Self 2,
free yourself from any emotional reaction to success or failure; simply know your goal and take objective interest in the results.
it must be acknowledged that remembering the instruction is not the same as remembering the stroke itself.
The chances are now even greater that there will be a split between memory of theory and the memory of action.
Natural learning is and always will be from the inside out, not vice versa. You are the learner and it is your individual, internal learning process that ultimately governs your learning.
It is much more difficult to break a habit when there is no adequate replacement for it.
We never repeat any behavior which isn’t serving some function or purpose. It is difficult to become aware of the function of any pattern of behavior while we are in the process of blaming ourselves for having a “bad habit.”
STEP 1 Observe Existing Behavior Nonjudgmentally
STEP 2 Picture Desired Outcome
STEP 3 Let It Happen! Trust Self 2
STEP 4 Nonjudgmental, Calm Observation of the Results Leading to Continuing Observation and Learning
As one achieves focus, the mind quiets. As the mind is kept in the present, it becomes calm. Focus means keeping the mind now and here.
Not assuming you already know is a powerful principle of focus.
Consciousness could be called the light of lights because it is by its light that all other lights become visible.
Anxiety is fear about what may happen in the future, and it occurs only when the mind is imagining what the future may bring. But when your attention is on the here and now, the actions which need to be done in the present have their best chance of being successfully accomplished, and as a result the future will become the best possible present.
Thoughts and thinking come and go, but the child self, the true self, is there and will be there as long as our breath is. To enjoy it, to appreciate it, is the gift of focus.
Most of our suffering takes place when we allow our minds to imagine the future or mull over the past.
Main Game 1: Good-o GENERAL AIM: To Achieve Excellence GENERAL MOTIVE: To Prove Oneself “Good”
SUBGAME A: Perfect-o
SUBGAME B: Compete-o
Image-o
Main Game 2: Friends-o GENERAL AIM: To Make or Keep Friends GENERAL MOTIVE: Desire for Friendship
Status-o
Togetherness-o
Husband-o or Wife-o
Main Game 3: Health-o–Fun-o GENERAL AIM: Mental or Physical Health or Pleasure GENERAL MOTIVE: Health and/or Fun
SUBGAME A: Health-o
SUBGAME B: Fun-o
SUBGAME C: Learn-o
When love and respect depend on winning or doing well in a competitive society, it is inevitable (since every winner requires a loser and every top performance many inferior ones) that there will be many people who feel a lack of love and respect.
words, the more challenging the obstacle he faces, the greater the opportunity for the surfer to discover and extend his true potential. The potential may have always been within him, but until it is manifested in action, it remains a secret hidden from himself. The obstacles are a very necessary ingredient to this process of self-discovery.
Reaching the goal itself may not be as valuable as the experience that can come in making a supreme effort to overcome the obstacles involved. The process can be more rewarding than the victory itself.
